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SPENCER 



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COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT 



A HANDBOOK of 
PUNCTUATION 



M. LYLE SPENCER, Ph.D. 

Professor of English Language 
Lawrence College 




THE COLLEGIATE PRESS 

GEORGE BANTA PUBLISHING COMPANY 

MENASHA, WISCONSIN 

1912 



x* 



Copyright, 19 12, by 
M. Lyle Spencer 
All rights reserved 



§*CI.A320649 



Flournoy Poindexter Spencer 





CONTENT 


. i 


I. 


Punctuation . 


II. 


The Manuscript 








i 


III. 


Capital Letters 








11 


IV. 


The Period 








. 23 


V. 


The Colon 








. 24 


VI. 


The Semicolon 








27 


VII. 


The Comma . 








30 


VIII. 


The Interrogation-point 








. 42 


IX. 


The Exclamation-point 








43 


X. 


The Dash 








44 


XI. 


Parentheses 








. 47 


XII. 


Quotation-marks 








50 


XIII. 


Italics .... 








61 


XIV. 


The Apostrophe 








63 


XV. 


The Hyphen . 








65 


XVI. 


Brackets 








73 


XVII. 


Asterisks 








74 


XVIII. 


Foot-notes 








. 75 


XIX. 


Abbreviations 








77 


XX. 


Numbers 








79 


XXI. 


Specimen Corrected Proof Sheet 




82 


XXII. 


Marks Used in Correcting Themes 




84 


XXIII. 


Exercise for Correction . 








85 



oA handbook of punctuation 



I. PUNCTUATION 

1. Definition. — Punctuation is usually understood 
to mean the use of points and marks for the sake of 
emphasizing and making clear sentences and parts of 
sentences. But, in its broader signification, it may 
concern itself with any of the mechanical processes 
connected with the preparation of written or printed 
manuscripts. It is in this broader, looser sense that the 
word is used in this Handbook. 

II. THE MANUSCRIPT 

2. Carelessly Prepared Manuscripts. — It is un- 
fortunate, but nevertheless true, that too many of us are 
careless to the point of slovenliness and inaccuracy about 
the purely mechanical features of our manuscripts. Yet 
a composition's plainness and legibility are as important 
to a reader as a speaker's delivery and articulation are to 
his audience. If one's hearers are continually puzzling 
over what one is saying, and straining attention to catch 
what one may say next, it is obvious that they cannot 
enjoy one's remarks to the fullest extent, no matter how 
good such remarks may be. In like manner, if an in- 
structor, or any reader for that matter, is compelled to 



2 Handbook of Punctuation 

puzzle over misshapen and illegible letters and words in 
an essay, it stands to reason that any enjoyment or fair 
criticism of the composition will be an impossibility. On 
this point Herbert Spencer's testimony should not fail of 
careful perusal by every writer : 

A reader or listener has, at each moment, but a limited 
amount of mental power available. To recognize and interpret 
the symbols presented to him requires part of this power; to 
arrange and combine the images presented requires a farther 
part ; and only that part which remains can be used for realizing 
the thought conveyed. Hence, the more time and attention it 
takes to receive and understand each sentence, the less time and 
attention can be given to the contained idea, and the less vividly 
will that idea be conceived. 1 

3. Neatness and Legibility. — It is only wisdom on 
the part of a writer, therefore, to pay particular atten- 
tion to the neatness and legibility, and the various other 
mechanical details of his manuscript. And since almost 
any writer can, with due care, present a neat, clear, read- 
able manuscript, it seems worth while to offer a few 
practical suggestions for the guidance of writers. 

4. Choice of Paper. — Unless there are specific 
reasons for not doing so, write on unruled letter paper 
of about 8 x 10 or 8J x 11 inches in size. Choose paper 
that is of a neutral tint — grey, yellow, or manila brown — 
and not sufficiently glazed to present a glossy surface. 

5. Legibility. — Write with painstaking care for 
legibility. 



1. Philosophy of Style, p. 5. 



The Manuscript 3 

a. Avoid angularity (inclining too far forward) in 
the formation of letters. The vertical system is the most 
legible. 

b. Leave a liberal space between the horizontal lines 
of the manuscript ; and do not let the sub-linear strokes 
of fs, gs, fs, p's, cfs, y's, and z's in one line descend 
below the general level of the b's, d's, fs, h's, k's, fs, 
p's, and fs in the line below. 

c. Leave a liberal space between consecutive words 
in the same line. Two separate words should never be 
run together. 

d. Do not leave extra space between letters in the 
same word. Avoid especially a gap between a capital 
letter and the letter that follows. 

e. Leave a double space after a period, a colon, a 
semicolon, an exclamation-point, or a question-mark, and 
before initial and after final quotation-marks. 

/. Do not fail to dot all is and fs and to cross all 
fs and x's. And be careful that the dots are directly 
above the i's and fs and that the ^-strokes are horizontally 
across the fs, and not across adjacent fs or b's. 

g. Do not write and on an oblique line. 

h. Avoid conspicuous shading and all flourishes that 
are not necessary to identify a letter. 

6. Black Ink.' — Write with black ink and on only 
one side of the paper. 

7. Space between Title and Subject-matter. — 
Leave not less than a half-inch of clear space between 
the title of the essay and the subject-matter. 

8. Introductory Pronouns. — Do not begin an es- 
say with a pronoun the antecedent of which is to be 
found only in the title. 



4 Handbook of Punctuation 

9. Margins. — Leave a blank margin of at least two 
inches at the left side of each page. 

a. If the margin is ruled on the paper, the lines of 
writing should begin at the ruled margin. No margin 
should be left at the right of the page unless a marginal 
line is ruled there. If the margins are ruled all about the 
paper and there is a difference in the width of the margins 
at the top and the bottom of the sheet, the broader margin 
should be kept at the bottom of the page, as it may be of 
most use for foot-notes there. 

10. Crowded Lines. — Do not crowd the lines at 
the bottom of the page ; take a new sheet of paper. 

11. Pagination. — Number the pages of the manu- 
script at the top, in arabic, not in roman, numerals. 

12. Space at the Top of Each Page. — Write the 
first line of each page not less than an inch from the 
top of the page. 

13. Spelling. — Scrutinize carefully the spelling of 
every word. 

a. Many students complain that they cannot tell, 
even by a careful perusal of their themes, when a word 
is incorrectly spelled. Here is an infallible preventitive — 
and it must be followed by every student when in the 
slightest doubt — for misspelled words : every word in 
the manuscript is to be regarded by the writer as mis- 
spelled until the dictionary has been consulted and the 
word is seen to be spelled correctly. 

b. The following commonly misspelled words should 
be carefully studied by every student who has trouble 
with his spelling : 

(1) academy. 



The Manuscript 

(2) accommodate. 

(3) achieve. 

(4) acknowledgment. 

(5) advice (»). 

(6) advise (v). 

(7) affect (v). How did it affect you? 

(8) allusion. Not to be confused with illusion. 

(9) all right. There is no such word as "alright". 
(10) 1 altar (n). An altar in the church. 

(11) alter (v). The tailor will alter the suit. 

(12) angel. An angel in Heaven. 

(13) angle. He views it from a different angle. 

(14) appertain (v). 
(IS)' appurtenance (n). 

(16) athlete, athletic. No £ between the h and the /. 

(17) believe. 

(18) benefit. 

(19) berth. Not to be confused with birth. 

(20) burglar. 

(21) business. Note that the i comes after the s. 

(22) capitol. Not to be confused with capital. 
(23)' ceiling. 

(24) Christian. 

(25) clothes. Different meaning from cloths. 

(26) coming. 

(27) conceive. 

(28) comparative. 

(29) current (adjy. 

(30) deceased. Burial of the deceased took place to-day. 

(31) definite. 

(32) descent (n). 

(33) describe. There is only one i in describe. 



Handbook of Punctuation 



(34) description. 

(35) ! desert. A dry, sandy, uninhabitable region. 

(36) dessert. The last course at dinner. 

(37) develop. No e after the p. 

(38) different. 

(39) dining-room. 

(40) disease. Afflicted with a grievous disease. 

(41) divine. 

(42) 1 drowned. There is no such word as "drownded''. 

(43) dying. 

(44) effect. Not to be confused with affect. 

(45) embarrass. 

(46) emigrant. Not to be confused with immigrant. 

(47) etc. Abbreviation for et cetera. Not "ect". 

(48) excellent. 
(49) : existence. 

(50) finally. Two l's in finally, and only one i. 

(51) forcible. 

(52) forty. Not "fourty". 

(53) grammar. 

(54) grievous. No i after the v. 

(55) height. There is no such word as "heighth". 

(56)' illusion. Not to be confused with allusion. 

(57) imagine. Only one m. 

(58) immigrant. One who comes into a country is an immi- 
grant. Not to be confused with emigrant. 

(59) independent. 

(60) Indians. Spelled with a capital letter. 

(61) infinite. 

(62) inoculate. 

(63) inquisitive. 



The Manuscript 7 

(64) irrelevant. Not "irrevelant". 

(65) its. There is no apostrophe in the pronoun its; it's is 

an abbreviation for it Is. 

(66) itself. One word, not two. 

(67) judgment. 

(68) laid. Not "layed". 

(69) later. Later in the day. 
(70) ! latter. The latter of two. 

(71) led. Not like the past tense of read. 

(72) lightning. Not an e after the t. 

(73) loose (adj). 

(74) lose (v). 

(75) ! Macaulay. 

(76) mantle. Distinguish between this word and mantel. 

(77) maybe (adv). 

(78) mischievous. No i after the v. 

(79) misspell. No hyphen between the two s's, 

(80) murmur. The second syllable is spelled exactly like 

the first. 

(81 )' negroes. 

(82) Niagara. 

(83) nickel. The e comes before the I. 

(84) noticeable. 

(85) obedience. 

(86) occasion. Two c's and only one s. 

(87) occur. One r only. 
(88)' occurred. Two r's. 

(89) omission. 

(90) omit. 

(91) one's. Note the apostrophe in the possessive case. 

(92) oneself. One word; not "one's self". 

(93) opportunity. 



Handbook of Punctuation 



(94' 


|! parallel. 


(95; 


) partner. 


(96; 


) perform. Not "preform". 


(97; 


) precede. 


(98; 


) preference. 


(99; 


) preparation. 


(loo; 


) principal (adj). The principal personage. 


(ioi; 


) principal (n). The principal of the school 


(102; 


) principle (n). A man of good principles. 


(103; 


) privilege. 


(104; 


) ; proceed. 


(105; 


) professor. Only one / in the word. 


(106; 


) pursue. 


(107; 


) ! quiet (adj). A quiet afternoon. 


(108; 


) quite (adv).- Not quite sold out. 


(109; 


) receive. 


(no; 


> recommend. 


(in; 


) reference. 


(112; 


) repetition. 


(ii3; 


)' resistance. 


(in; 


) rhythm. 


(ii5; 


) seize. 


(ii6; 


) separate. 


(ii7; 


) serviceable. 


(us; 


) siege. 


(ii9; 


) similar. Not an i after the /. 


(120; 


)' speech. 


(121; 


) stationary (adj). 


(122; 


) stationery (n). 


(123; 


) statue. Do not confuse with stature. 


(124; 


) studying. 


(125; 


>' surprise. 



The Manuscript 9 

(126) their. 

(127) to {prep). 

(128) too (adv). 

(129) two (adj). 

(130) truly. 

(131) tyranny. 

(132) until. Only one / in the word. 

(133) vegetable. 

(134) village. 

(135) villain. 

(136) Wednesday. 

(137) woman (singula?-). 

14. Paragraph Indentation. — When beginning a 
new paragraph, indent at least three-quarters of an inch, 
irrespective of where the preceding paragraph has ended. 

a. No exception is made to this rule because the 
paragraphs are numbered. The first words of the first 
lines of all paragraphs should begin at the same distance 
from the margin. No other lines than the first lines of 
paragraphs should be indented in the least. 

15. Consolidation of Paragraphs. — When it is 
necessary to consolidate two paragraphs, draw a line 
from the end of the first to the beginning of the second 
and mark "No ft" in the margin opposite where the con- 
solidation is to be made. Likewise, when it is necessary 
to separate one paragraph into two, insert the paragraph 
symbol (ff) immediately before the word that is to begin 
the new paragraph. 

16. Leaving Parts of Lines Blank. — Do not leave 
part of a line blank after the end of a sentence, unless 



10 Handbook of Punctuation 

that sentence ends the paragraph. If there is room, 
begin the next sentence on the same line. 

17. Insertion of Words. — When it is necessary to 
insert a word or a phrase in a sentence, write the word or 
phrase above the line and indicate with a caret ( A ) below 
the line the proper place for the insertion. 

18. Erasures. — Make erasures by drawing a single 
heavy line through the word or words to be canceled. 

a. Do not use parentheses to indicate erasures, as 
they have other very different uses. See paragraphs 129 
to 133. A printer will not omit, but will set up in type 
parentheses and everything found within them. 

19. Restoration of Erased Words. — Indicate the 
restoration of an erased word or phrase by a line of dots 
beneath it. 

20. Transposition of Words. — Indicate the trans- 
position of two words or phrases by drawing a continuous 
line over the first and under the second. 

21. Underscoring. — Underscore once for italics, 
twice for small capitals, and three times for 
CAPITALS. Use wave-line underscoring to indicate 
heavy-face type. 

22. The Manuscript. — Never roll a manuscript 
under any circumstances. And unless the number of 
pages makes the essay too bulky to fold, do not fasten 
the sheets together. Where short themes of not more 
than eight or ten pages are presented, fold only once — 
transversely across the middle, bringing the top of the 
theme to the bottom. Then, holding the folded theme in 



Capital Letters 11 

this position, with the top brought to the bottom, endorse 
with name, class-section, and date on the upper right-hand 
corner of the paper. Such a way of folding and endors- 
ing enables the instructor to file any number of essays 
with accuracy and to be able to find any theme with a 
minimum amount of trouble. 

III. CAPITAL LETTERS 

23. First Word of a Sentence. — Begin the first 
word of every complete sentence with a capital letter, 
unless the sentence follows one to which it is so closely 
related in thought that the two are separated by a colon 
or a minor mark of punctuation. 

Right. — Toward the south were the railway station and the 
business section of the town; toward the north extended 
the residence district and the churches. 

24. Verse and Formal Quotations. — Capitalize the 
first word of every direct formal quotation and of every 
line of verse. 

a. Verse, unless only a fragment of a line, should be 
quoted in verse form, with a capital at the beginning of 
each line. But when fragmentary quotations and frag- 
ments of lines of verse, even though quoted exactly, are 
used as grammatical elements in a sentence, a capital is 
not used unless the author himself has capitalized the 
word with which the quotation begins. (For the punctua- 
tion of direct quotations, see 60, 98, 144.) 

Right. — He cited the following lines from Beattie's Minstrel: 
Far to the west the long, long vale withdrawn, 
Where twilight loves to linger for a while. 



12 Handbook of Punctuation 

Right. — It was Mrs. Browning who said, "Every age appears 

to souls who live in it, most unheroic." 
Right. — Fletcher has said somewhere that nothing is "so 

dainty sweet as lovely melancholy/' 

25. Proper Adjectives and Nouns. — Capitalize 
proper names and adjectives derived from proper names. 

Exception 1. — The names of the seasons are not 
capitalized; as, spring, midsummer, autumn, etc. 

Exception 2. — When a proper noun or adjective has 
been used so long that it has lost its primary significance 
of reference to the name from which it took its meaning, 
it is not capitalized. Such words are cologne, morocco, 
platonic, stoical, india (rubber), castile (soap), levant, 
etc. 

Exception 3. — In zoology the names of species, even 
though derived from proper names, are not capitalized; 
as, Corvus americanus, Ursus himalayanus, etc. 

26. Difficulty in Recognizing Proper Names. — It 
would seem an easy enough matter to say that every 
proper name should be capitalized, and to capitalize such 
words when one has occasion to use them ; but in reality 
it is often difficult for one to determine precisely when 
one is using a proper noun. For this reason it seems 
advisable to make the following sub-rules in explanation 
of the' general rule for the capitalization of proper 
names : — 

27. (1) Class Names. — Capitalize a class name 
when it is used as a generally recognized distinguishing 
title; as, the Union, the United Kingdom, Heaven (but 
heavens), God (but gods), etc. 



Capital Letters 13 

a. For this reason one should capitalize such words 
as father, mother, sister, etc. when they are used as dis- 
tinguishing titles and without any idea of class reference. 
But when such nouns are made to serve the double pur- 
pose of naming both an individual and a class, they are 
usually regarded as common nouns and are written with 
small letters, even though they may unquestionably dis- 
tinguish individual persons or subjects. 

Right. — It is Father's belief that stubborn men are often 

wrong, but seldom dishonest. 
Not good. — My Father says that stubborn men are often 

wrong, but seldom dishonest. 
Right. — My father says that stubborn men are often wrong, 

but seldom dishonest. 

b. Names of college classes, unless referring to a 
specific class of a certain year in a definite college, are 
not capitalized. 

Wrong. — He will be a Freshman at Kentucky Wesleyan next 

year. 
Right. — He will be a freshman at Kentucky Wesleyan next 

year. 

Wrong. — A meeting of the freshman class [meaning a spe- 
cific class] will be held immediately after chapel. 

Right. — A meeting of the Freshman Class [meaning a spe- 
cific class] will be held immediately after chapel. 

28. (2) Titles of Books, etc.— Capitalize the first 
word and all the important words in the titles of books, 
poems, magazine articles, plays, pictures, etc. ; that is, 
the first word and all the other words except articles, 
demonstratives, prepositions, con j unctions, auxiliary 
verbs, and pronouns in the possessive case. 



14 Handbook of Punctuation 

a. Usage varies greatly here. Some writers capital- 
ize even prepositions when they are long, while others 
capitalize only the nouns and verbs. The American 
Library Association, following continental usage, has 
adopted the practice of capitalizing only the proper names 
and the first words of titles. 

b. As a rule, the definite article preceding the titles 
of newspapers and magazines is not treated as a part of 
the title. 

c. In the titles of foreign books and magazines the 
following rules should be observed — 

1. In German and Danish capitalize all nouns and all 
adjectives derived from the names of persons; as, Die 
Natur in der altgermanischen und mittelhochdeutschen 
Epik, Die Homerische Frage, Studier i Beowulf sagan. 

2. In French, Italian, Scandinavian, and Spanish 
capitalize proper names, but not adjectives derived from 
proper names ; as, Tableau de la litterature russe, Delizie 
degli eruditi toscani, Svenska litteraturens historie, Ras- 
segna bibliografica della letteratura italiana. 

3. In Dutch capitalize all nouns and all adjectives 
derived from proper nouns ; as, Geschiedenis der Neder- 
landsche Taal. 

4. In Latin capitalize only proper nouns and ad- 
jectives derived from proper nouns; as, Verificatio om- 
nium stellarum fixarum pro anno 1440. 

29. (3) Common Nouns Joined with Proper Names. 
— Write with a capital letter common nouns when 
used with proper names and meaning the same thing, 
whether connected by or without a preposition; as, Yel- 
lowstone Park, Cape of Belle Isle, Borough of Manhattan, 
Alexander the Great, etc. 



Capital Letters 15 

a. Where the name is made up of several words, 
capitalize the first word, whatever it may be, and all other 
words except such unimportant ones as articles, conjunc- 
tions, and prepositions. 

b. Distinguish between proper names and nouns 
modified by words derived from proper names ; as, Brit- 
ish Isles, but British islands; Chinese Republic, but Chin- 
ese immigrants; Westminster Abbey, but Westminster 
linen; etc. 

30. (4) Names and Titles of the Deity. — Begin with 
capitals the names and titles of the Deity, including the 
personal pronouns he, his, him, thou, thy, thee. 

Wrong. — Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, etc. 
Right. — Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, etc. 

31. (5) Biblical Names. — Names of the Bible and 
other sacred books, of the versions of the Bible, and of 
the books and divisions of the Bible and of other sacred 
books, are capitalized. 

a. Adjectives derived from such names are not usual- 
ly capitalized. 

Right. — The Scriptures, the Book of Books, the Koran, the 
King James Version, the Septuagint, the Old Testament, 
the Psalms, Judith, the Ten Commandments; biblical, 
scr ip tu ra I, ap och ryp ha I. 

32. (6) Titles of Honor, Respect, Office, or Pro- 
fession. — Begin titles of honor, respect, nobility, office, 
or profession with capitals; as, Right Reverend R. H. 
Weller, Father Ryan, King George, President Taft, Ex- 
president Roosevelt, Professor Naylor, etc. 

a. Capitalize personal epithets when prefixed like 



16 Handbook of Punctuation 

official titles before the names of individuals ; as, Aunt 
Martha, Farmer Watson, Brother Marsh, etc. 

b. When coming after the name, an official title other 
than that of a sovereign or a high government official is 
not usually capitalized; as, /. T. Littleton, dean of the 
Woman's College; D. D. Peele, professor of English, etc. 

33. (7) Names Distinguishing Nationality or Lo- 
cality. — Nouns and adjectives of distinct nationality or 
locality are written with capital letters ; as, German, 
Yankee, Creole, Hoosier, the Old World, etc. 

Exception. — The noun negro is not capitalized. This 
is not a discrimination against the colored race. It is 
due to the etymology of the word, — from the Latin niger, 
black. 

34. (<5) Cardinal Points. — Capitalize the names of 
the cardinal points when they are used as nouns or proper 
adjectives referring to definite sections of the country; 
otherwise a small letter is used. 

Wrong. — There is no doubt that the south had a legal right 

to secede. 
Right. — There is no doubt that the South had a legal right 

to secede. 

35. (9) Names of Festivals, etc. — Begin the names 
of festivals, holidays, the days of the week, and the 
months of the year with capitals ; as, Pentecost, Easter, 
Labor Day, Thanksgiving, New Year's, Fourth of July, 
etc. 

36. (10) Historical Documents, Epochs, etc. — 
Documents, events, and epochs of recognized historical, 
literary, or geological importance are written with capital 



Capital Letters 17 

letters ; as, Magna Charta, Boston Tea Party, Dark Ages, 
Renaissance, Pleistocene, etc. 

37. (11) Expositions, Conventions, etc. — The names 
of expositions, conventions, conferences, congresses, etc. 
are capitalized. 

Right. — The Panama Exposition is to be held at San Fran- 
cisco in 1915. 
Right. — The Democratic Convention met at Baltimore in 1912. 
Right. — The Hague Conference settled it for all time. 

38. (12) Clubs, Corporations, Political Parties, etc. 
— Write with capitals the names of clubs, colleges, 
fraternities, corporations, political parties, religious de- 
nominations, commercial and industrial institutions, and 
organizations generally; as, Riverview Country Club, 
Kappa Alpha Fraternity, United Steel Company, Demo- 
crat, Methodist, Jesuit, etc. 

39. (13) Governmental Departments, etc. — When 
specifically applied, the names of governmental depart- 
ments and of administrative, judicial, and legislative 
bodies, and their branches, are written with capital letters ; 
as, Congress, Parliament, Reichstag, Bureau of Educa- 
tion, Supreme Court of the United States, Committee on 
Rivers and Harbors, etc. 

40. (14) Ordinal Numbers. — Ordinal numbers 
used to designate sessions of Congress, names of regi- 
ments, Egyptian dynasties, etc. are written with capital 
letters. 

Right. — The Fifty-third Congress adjourned that day. 
Right. — The Second Alabama Regiment was passing by. 



18 Handbook of Punctuation 

Right. — During the Second Dynasty it must have occurred. 

41. (15) Names of Buildings, Squares, Parks, etc. — 
Names of buildings, blocks, squares, parks, thoroughfares, 
etc, are capitalized; as, Singer Building, Hunt Block, 
Trafalgar Square, Washington Park, Appian Way, North 
Shore Drive, etc. 

Exception. — Except in connection with the name of 
the place in which they are located, do not capitalize such 
general names as court-house, high-school, library, post- 
office, etc. 

42. (16) Solar Bodies. — In astronomy the names 
of the bodies of the solar system, except earth, moon, sun, 
are capitalized; as, Jupiter, the Great Bear, the Milky 
Way, etc. 

43. (17) Proper Names in General. — In general, 
capitalize any word or words w T hen used to refer to or to 
distinguish a particular person, place, animal, or thing; 
as, Queen Mab, Utopia, Rover, Nirvana, Angelus, Last 
Supper, Liberty Bell, etc. 

44. Personified Objects. — Capitalize abstract ideas 
and inanimate objects when strongly personified. 

a. Considerable care should be exercised jin the 
capitalization of personified nouns. In prose writing it 
is not in good taste to capitalize such nouns unless their 
personification would be unmistakable without the use of 
a capital. In poetry capitals are somewhat more freely 
used. 
Right. — 

And others came — Desires and Adorations, 

Winged Persuasions and veiled Destinies, 



Capital Letters 19 

Splendors, and Glooms, and glimmering Incarnations 

Of hopes and fears, and twilight Fantasies; 

And Sorrow, with her family of Sighs, 

And Pleasure, blind with tears, led by the gleam 

Of her own dying smile instead of eyes, 

Came in slow pomp. — Shelley. 

45. Independent Sentences Introduced by Colons. 

— When an independent sentence that would have full 
meaning when standing by itself is introduced by a colon, 
the first word is often capitalized. 

Right. — My summary of him and his theories is this: He 

believes in government of himself, for himself, and by 

himself. 

46. First Word of Tabular Items. — Begin with a 
capital letter the first word of each item of a series when 
the items are placed each on a separate line, or when they 
are distinctly marked by cardinal numbers and periods. 

a. When setting down a list of items in tabular form, 
be careful that the relation of the items to the context and 
to each other is made entirely clear, — that the list, in the 
same manner as a quotation of verse (see 137), is set 
apart from the matter preceding and following it, that the 
first line of each item extends farther to the left than the 
other lines of that item, etc. See 132. 

Wrong. — The different counts on which he was indicted were : 

a. Destruction of documents that were necessary in 
the government's suit and were expected to prove 
both him and the company criminally negligent; 

b. Perjury; 

c. Misuse of the company's funds for a period of 
three years preceding his resignation as its at- 
torney ; 



20 Handbook of Punctuation 

d. Jury bribing; any one of which would have been 

sufficient to convict him in any court in the country. 

Right. — The different counts on which he was indicted were: 

a. Destruction of documents that were necessary 

in the government's suit and were expected to 
prove both him and the company criminally 
negligent ; 

b. Perjury; 

c. Misuse of the company's funds for a period of 

three years preceding his resignation as its 
attorney ; 

d. Jury bribing; 

any one of which would have been sufficient to con- 
vict him in any court in the country. 

b. When the items of a series are written, not in 
tabular form, but continuously on the same line or lines, 
better usage requires that they be marked by letters, or 
cardinal numbers, in parentheses, and that the first word 
of each item begin with a small letter. 

Permissible. — The chief points that he touched were: 1. The 
effect of the parcels post on the country merchant; 2. 
Inter-urban railways; 3. Civic playgrounds; 4. The nickel 
theatre and its growing influence. 
Right. — The chief points that he touched were: (1) the 
effect of the parcels post on the country merchant; (2) 
inter-urban railways; (3) civic playgrounds; and (4) the 
nickel theatre and its growing influence. 

47. Pronoun I and Interjection O. — Write the pro- 
noun I and the interjection O with capital letters. 

a. The following distinctions in the prose usage 
(the rule does not hold in poetry) of the interjections O 
and oh should be noted: oh expresses deeper emotion 
than O ; except at the beginning of a sentence, oh is writ- 






Capital Letters 21 

ten with a small letter, O always with a capital; the 
former usually requires a comma or an exclamation-point 
after it, while the latter is seldom followed by any punc- 
tuation at all; and oh is used always by itself, while O 
serves only as a poetic or archaic sign of direct address, 
as in "I have brought him, O Agrippa". 

Wrong. — I wonder, O I wonder where he is. 

We have come before thee, Oh King. 
Right. — I wonder, oh I wonder where he is. 

We have come before thee, O King. 

Oh, we had a fairly good time. 

Oh ! You scared me. 

48. Prefixes "von", "de", etc. — Capitalize the pre- 
fixes von, de, di, le, la, etc. when not preceded by Chris- 
tian name or title. 

a. The continental practice, however, which regularly 
writes such prefixes with small letters, is followed by 
many American and English writers. 

b. Exception. — In Dutch names "Van" is usually 
capitalized. 

Permissible. — He quoted from de Quincey. 
Right. — He quoted from De Quincey. 

Wrong. — I had read Thomas De Quincey's Confessions. 
Right. — I had read Thomas de Quincey's Confessions. 

Wrong. — Stephen van Rensselaer was the founder of Rens- 
selaer Polytechnic Institute. 

Right. — Stephen Van Rensselaer was the founder of Rens- 
selaer Polytechnic Institute. 

49. Abbreviations of Academic Degrees and Hon- 
orary Titles. — Abbreviations of academic degrees and 
honorary titles are capitalized. {See also 91.) 



22 Handbook of Punctuation 

Right. — Samuel Plantz, Ph.D., D.D., is president of Lawrence 
College. 

Right. — "Her children first of more distinguished sort, 
Who study Shakespeare at the Inns of Court, 
Impale a glow-worm, or vertu profess, 
Shine in the dignity of F. R. S." — Pope. 

50. "Sir" and "Madam" in Salutations. — Capitalize 
Sir and Madam in the salutations of letters. 

Right.— Mr. F. P. Young, 

Apple ton, V/is. 
Dear Sir: 

51. Broken Lines. — -Begin with a capital letter the 
first word of the latter part of a broken line, as in the 
subscription of letters. 

Right. — I am, 

Yours very truly, 

John Doe. 

52. After "Whereas" and "Resolved" in Resolu- 
tions. — In resolutions the first word following such 
introductory words as Whereas and Resolved is capital- 
ized. {See also 106.) 

a. In resolutions for debate, if a comma — according 
to better usage — is placed after the Resolved, the word 
immediately following is not always capitalized. 
Right. — Whereas, The students have .... and 

Whereas, The faculty has . . . ; therefore be it 
Resolved, That we most heartily endorse, etc. 
Right. — Resolved, that the college summer vacation should 
be shortened. 

53. In Botany and Zoology. — Capitalize the names 



The Period 23 

of classes, families, and genera in botany and zoology, but 
not the names of species unless derived from proper 
nouns. 

Exception. — See 25, Exception 3. 

54. Caution. — Avoid excessive capitalization. 

a. Do not capitalize such words as astronomy , ath- 
letics, college, convention, department, fraternity, history, 
measles, professor, rhetoric, etc. 

IV. THE PERIOD 

55. Imperative, Exclamatory, and Declarative 
Sentences. — A period should be placed after imperative 
sentences, after sentences but slightly exclamatory, and 
after every complete declarative sentence not connected 
in a series. {See also 114.) 

Right. — Do not forget to cultivate your mind and to enlarge 

your thought. 
Right. — How much more joyfully one remembers his mother's 

turnovers than his father's. 
Right. — It is stated that the proportion of unmarried women 

is growing larger in America every year. 

56. Abbreviations. — Place a period after abbrevi- 
ated words and after single or double initial letters repre- 
senting single words; as, Rev., Ph.D., LL.D., p., etc. 
(Concerning the use of abbreviations, see 194-199.) 

Exception 1. The period is omitted after chemical 
symbols, the format of books, the phrase per cent, and 
the abbreviation for manuscript (MS) ; as, NaCl, 8vo, 
etc. 

Exception 2. In technical writing a period is not 



24 Handbook of Punctuation 

placed after the recognized initial abbreviations for the 
titles of familiar publications and well-known linguistic 
epochs; as, OE {Old English), OHG {Old High Ger- 
man), EETS {Early English Text Society), etc. 

57. Roman Numerals. — A period is usually put 
after roman numerals. 

a. There is a tendency now, however, to follow con- 
tinental usage and omit altogether the period after a 
roman numeral. 

Good. — James I, king of Scotland, died in 1437. 

Right. — Henry VI. was the son of Catharine of France. 

58. Decimal Numbers. — Place a period before 
decimal numbers that are written in figures, even if a 
whole number does not precede. 

Right. — His rifle was a .44 r inch calibre. 

Right. — The amount that he received was only $13.81. 

V. THE COLON 

59. Between Independent Clauses. — A colon is 
placed between two independent clauses of a compound 
sentence when the second clause, by way of explaining 
the thought, adding an illustration, or repeating the same 
idea in other words, stands in some sort of apposition to 
the first.- 

a. If the second clause, however, is adversative or 
introduces any change or advance in thought, a colon is 
not used. See 65. 

Right. — There were an unusual number of excellent sites 
available in Henderson, which had been laid out, as Ralph 
once remarked, with an eye for beauty: a knoll overlook- 



The Colon 25 

ing the north stretch of the river; Hanson's Hill to the 

west of the town; and, best of all, two double lots facing 

the city park. 
Right. — The dare in the eyes of the leading lady suddenly 

began to fade : a footstep was sounding down the hall. 
Right. — His prayer for justice was respected : they swung 

him up immediately. 

60. Formal Quotations. — A colon is used to intro- 
duce a formal quotation. (See also 24 and 98.) 

Right. — The writer also makes this statement: "There is 
every reason to believe that this disease plays a larger part 
in the production of idiocy than has hitherto been admitted 
by writers on insanity/' 

61. Formal Enumerations. — A formal enumeration 
of particulars is introduced by a colon. (See also 46 and 
67.) 

a. Such enumerations are usually preceded by words 
and phrases like says, thus, for instance, the following, 
etc. Often, however, such words and phrases are merely 
implied, the colon taking their place. 

b. Caution. — Xote that no punctuation at all is 
needed before a simple, informal list of particulars. 

Wrong. — He has correlated all his material into four general 
rules; first, develop your ability; second, develop your 
reliability; third, develop your endurance; fourth develop 
your action. 

Right. — He has correlated all his material into four general 
rules : first, develop your ability ; second develop your 
reliability; third, develop your endurance; fourth develop 
your action. 

Right. — The members of the English faculty are the presi- 



26 Handbook of Punctuation 

dent of the college, an assistant professor, and a theme 
reader. 
Right. — There are three members of the English faculty, as 
follows : first, the president of the college who does little 
or no teaching at all; second, an assistant professor, on 
whom the entire burden of responsibility for the depart- 
ment rests; and, third, a theme reader who does all the 
drudgery. 

62. After Salutations. — A colon is placed after the 
salutation in formal letters and after the salutatory- 
remark of a speaker when addressing the chairman or 
his audience. {See also 105.) 

a. There is no need of a dash after the colon. A 
dash merely requires an additional amount of the writer's 
time without adding to the clearness or the precision of 
the salutation. 

Right. — The P ettibone-P eabody Co., 

Apple ton, Wis. 
Dear Sirs : 
Right. — Mr. Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen : 

63. In Biblical References and Time Indications. — 
A colon is placed between chapter and verse in biblical 
references and between hours and minutes in time indica- 
tions. 

Rig hh— Luke 3: 7-15. 

Right. — The boat sails at 10 :30 a. m. 

64. General Usage. — In general, a colon is placed 
after any word, phrase, or clause that is used to introduce 
formally an addition of any kind. 



The Semicolon 27 

VI. THE SEMICOLON 

65. Between Independent Clauses. — A semicolon 
is used to separate the independent clauses of a compound 
sentence when they are loosely connected, especially when 
a sharp change or advance in thought is made by the 
second clause (no connective being used), or when the 
later clause is joined without and, but, for, or or to the 
first clause by such conjunctions as accordingly, besides, 
hence, hozvever, moreover, nevertheless, now, so, then, 
therefore, thus, yet, etc. {See also 59, 72.) 

"In nearly all such cases/' says Newcomer, "it is 
possible to use a period, but a nice discrimination of rela- 
tions would be sacrificed thereby." 1 

Wrong. — Little four-year-old waiters take the knives and 
forks and spoons and distribute them in the different 
places, they even carry trays holding as many as five water- 
glasses. 

Right. — Little four-year-old waiters take the knives and 
forks and spoons and distribute them in the different 
places ; they even carry trays holding as many as five water- 
glasses. 

Wrong. — Before, in his revolt, he had come against a college 

tradition, now he found himself face to face with the 

problem of meeting social prejudice. 
Right. — Before, in his revolt, he had come against a college 

tradition ; now he found himself face to face with the 

problem of meeting social prejudice. 

66. Before "namely", "viz", etc. — A semicolon is 
placed before such words as namely, as, that is, e. g., viz., 

1. Elements of Rhetoric, pp. 269-70. 



28 Handbook of Punctuation 

etc. when introducing an example or an illustration. {See 
also 96.) 

Right. — A pronoun is a word used instead of a noun; as, 
he, she, them. 

67. In a Formal Enumeration of Particulars. — A 

semicolon is used to separate the larger groups of a 
formal enumeration of particulars that has been intro- 
duced by a colon. {See also 46 and 61.) 

Wrong. — The chief points that he brought out were: (1) 
he was essentially honest, (2) he was full of bitter loyalty 
to his party, for which he had worked all his life, and (3) 
he was not responsible for the new outbreak of sentiment 
in the country. 

Right. — The chief points that he brought out were: (1) ; he 
was essentially honest; (2) he was full of bitter loyalty 
to his party, for which he had worked all his life; and (3) 
he was not responsible for the new outbreak of sentiment 
in the country. 

68. Instead of Commas. — A semicolon is used in a 
simple sentence to separate clauses and phrases that are 
in the same construction, but which are so broken by 
commas as to need some other sort of punctuation to 
keep the larger phrase- or clause-relations clear. 

a. It is evident that the semicolon in this instance 
performs the proper function of the comma and that its 
use thus is justified only by reason of the fact that it 
marks clearly the major divisions of the sentence or 
clause by avoiding confusion with commas that are per- 
forming other offices. 

Wrong. — The room was dim with the delicious steam of 
candied apples and quinces, almost crystalline because of 






The Semicolon 29 

long cooking, creamy, yellow custards that one likes to 
bite and feel melt away in the mouth, spiced dainties, 
pungent yet mild, and immense cakes heavy with fruit and 
nuts. 
Right. — The room was dim with the delicious steam of 
candied apples and quinces, almost crystalline because of 
long cooking; creamy, yellow custards that one likes to 
bite and feel melt away in the mouth; spiced dainties, 
pungent yet mild; and immense cakes heavy with fruit and 
nuts. 

69. In a Long Series of Clauses. — A semicolon is 
used to separate the members of a long series of clauses 
or phrases that have a common dependence on some other 
clause, phrase, or word. 

Right. — Because the summer vacation affords an opportunity 
for both students and teachers to obtain a much needed 
rest ; because little profitable study can be done by growing 
boys and girls during the hot summer months of June, 
July, and August ; because many teachers need extra study, 
which can be obtained only during the summer vacation ; 
because many students are compelled to earn their way 
through school, and a shortening of the vacation would 
necessitate their leaving college; I therefore maintain that 
the college summer vacation should not be shortened. 

70. After "Yes" and "No". — A semicolon is put 
after yes and no when they do not serve as introductory 
words to the sentences before which they stand, the 
sentences that they would normally introduce having been 
omitted entirely. (See also 95.) 

Right. — Yes; and she gives such costly presents that one 
cannot give a little remembrance in return. 



30 Handbook of Punctuation 

71. Caution. — Do not use a semicolon between the 
members of a simple or complex sentence except in ac- 
cordance with rules 67, 68, and 69. 

Wrong. — If the men who favor the motion will make a care- 
ful canvass of the club; they will find that a majority of 
the members are in favor of the old rule. 

Right. — If the men who favor the motion will make a care- 
ful canvass of the club, they will find that a majority of 
the members are in favor of the old rule. 

Wrong. — Though some thought that there was no harm in 
giving him a chance at the chairmanship ; others believed 
that he should have subordinated his ambition to that of 
the senator whose delegate he was chosen to be. 

Right. — Though some thought that there was no harm in 
giving him a chance at the chairmanship, others believed 
that he should have subordinated his ambition to that of 
the senator whose delegate he was chosen to be. 

VII. THE COMMA 

72. Between Independent Clauses. — A comma is 
used to separate the independent clauses of a compound 
sentence when short and closely connected. 

a. It should be noted that such independent clauses 
are practically always connected by conjunctions. It is 
permissible, though not advisable, to separate by commas 
clauses that are not connected by conjunctions, when such 
clauses are short, have no commas within themselves, and 
are closely parallel in construction and in thought. But 
except for such rare cases as these, the use of a comma 
to separate two grammatically complete, independent 
clauses not joined by a conjunction is an inexcusable 
rhetorical error. See 65. 



The Comma 31 

Permissible.— I came, I saw, I conquered. 
Permissible. — He toiled for his family, he toiled for his 
friends, he toiled for the world at large. 

Wrong. — Laws that ran counter to the customs and habits 

of the people were made the subject of ridicule, they were 

termed "scarecrow" laws. 
Right. — Laws that ran counter to the customs and habits 

of the people were made the subject of ridicule; they were 

termed "scarecrow" laws. 

Wrong. — He determined that his children should be students, 

thus he might walk by proxy in the Elysian fields of liberal 

learning. 
Right. — He determined that his children should be students ; 

thus he might walk by proxy in the Elysian fields of liberal 

learning. 

73. Transposed Words, Phrases, and Clauses. — 

Transposed words, phrases, and clauses are set off by 
commas, unless the construction is entirely clear without 
the punctuation. 

Wrong. — In order to do this work must be begun early. 
Right. — In order to do this, work must be begun early. 
Wrong. — Further I may say that she is aware of the honor 

that has been done her. 
Right. — Further, I may say that she is aware of the honor 

that has been done her. 

74. Words, Phrases, and Clauses in a Series. — 

The members of a series of two or more words, phrases, 
or clauses standing in the same relation and not connected 
by conjunctions, are separated by commas. 

Right. — She was tall, beautiful, well dressed, condescending. 



32 Handbook of Punctuation 

75. Modifying Adjectives. — When the series is one 
of modifying adjectives, care should be taken that the 
adjectives are coordinate in value; that is, that one ad- 
jective does not modify another adjective as well as the 
following noun. 

Right. — A dark, blue mountain towered before us. 
Right. — A dark blue mountain towered before us. 

Right. — She was wearing a bright, red dress. 
Right. — She was wearing a bright red dress. 

76. A Comma before the Conjunction in a Series. — 

If in a series of three or more words, phrases, or clauses 
only the last two members are joined by a conjunction, 
the comma is inserted before the conjunction just as if 
there were no connective. 

a. This is done to prevent the last two members from 
seeming to be a single unit in the series. 

Not good. — He took it, looked at it and opened it. 
Right. — He took it, looked at it, and opened it. 

Wrong. — Those who were first to send telegrams of congratu- 
lation to Mr. Wilson were Champ Clark, Underwood, Mann 
of Virginia, Harmon, Dix of New York, Bryan and Till- 
man of South Carolina. 

Right. — Those who were first to send telegrams of congratu- 
lation to Mr. Wilson were Champ Clark, Underwood, Mann 
of Virginia, Harmon, Dix of New York, Bryan, and Till- 
man of South Carolina. 

77. Comma Omitted before the Conjunction. — 
When a conjunction is placed between all of the members 
of a series, the comma is usually omitted, though it is 



The Comma 33 

sometimes used in order to give emphasis to each separ- 
ate member. 

Right. — At last he had found comfort, and rest, and silence. 

78. Caution. — When a series of words, phrases, or 
clauses forms the subject of a sentence, a comma is not 
placed after the last member of the series. 

Wrong. — Red, white, blue, and green, were the prevailing 

colors. 
Right. — Red, white, blue, and green were the prevailing 

colors. 

79. Words and Phrases in Pairs. — Words and 
phrases arranged in pairs are separated by commas. 

Right. — Working or playing, standing or sitting, in town 
or in the country, he was always up to some mischief. 

80. Non-restrictive Modifiers. — Non-restrictive or 
explanatory modifiers are set ofif by commas. 

a. Restrictive modifiers are not normally separated 
from the words modified by any marks of punctuation. 

81. Difficulty with Restrictive and Non-restrictive 
Modifiers. — Restrictive and non-restrictive modifiers — 
words, phrases, and clauses — are usually difficult to grasp 
and, hence, to punctuate ; so it may be worth while taking 
time to name at some length the more important non- 
restrictive modifiers. 

82. (1) Relative Clauses. — Non-restrictive or ex- 
planatory relative clauses are set ofif by commas. 

Right. — He took us to see a house that he had bought the 
day before. (Restrictive) 



34 Handbook of Punctuation 

Right. — He took us to see his room, which we found sadly 
in need of cleaning. (Non-restrictive) 

83 (2) Dependent Adverbial Clauses. — Non-re- 
strictive adverbial clauses are set off by commas; and 
even restrictive adverbial clauses, when preceding the 
independent clauses, are set apart by commas. 

Right. — I watched while he continued the search. (Restrict- 
ive) 

Right. — I watched in terror, while he continued the search 
as if he were unconscious of any danger. (Non-restrictive) 

Right. — He was on the point of leaving when I met him. 
(Restrictive) 

Right. — When I met him, he was on the point of leaving. 

84. (3) Adjective Modifiers. — Non-restrictive ad- 
jectives and participial modifiers are set off by commas. 

Right. — The old and dilapidated house had been deserted for 
years. (Restrictive) 1 

Right. — The house, old and dilapidated, had been deserted for 
years. (Non-restrictive) 

Right. — We saw him giving up his seat in the first boat. (Re- 
strictive) 

Right. — Giving up his seat in the first boat, he came and 
stood by us. (Non-restrictive) 

85. (4) Parenthetic Expressions. — Set off by com- 
mas parenthetic words, phrases, and clauses, whether 
used at the beginning, middle, or end of a sentence. 

a. This rule, necessarily inclusive and vague, is easi- 
ly abused. Many parenthetic words and phrases are 
abrupt and plainly parenthetical, and should evidently be 
set off by commas, but others interrupt the flow of the 
thought so slightly that no punctuation of any kind is 



The Comma 35 

needed. Hence great care should be exercised in follow- 
ing the rule. When in doubt omit the punctuation. 

b. If a parenthetic expression occurs in a phrase or 
clause that is already separated from the rest of the 
sentence by commas, or if the expression is decidedly in 
the nature of an aside, parentheses or dashes, instead of 
commas, may be used to set the expression off from the 
remainder of the sentence. See 117 and 131. 

c. On the contrary* a parenthetic expression oc- 
curring within a parenthetic expression that is already 
marked by dashes, is set off by commas. 

Right. — He firmly believes, as do many others, that a boy 
can read with enjoyment this simple classic page. 

Right. — For the most loftily renowned of writers have made 
slips — slips, indeed, which might be forgiven, but not 
justified, — and they have wished greatly in after years that 
they might change them. 

The following seven rules really come under 85, but 
for the sake of added clearness may be mentioned sepa- 
rately : — 

86. (a) Appositives. — Non-restrictive appositional 
words and phrases, including those introduced by or, are 
set off by commas. 

a. In the case of informal apposition, a comma is 
usually put before the dash introducing the appositive 
word, phrase, or clause. {See 121.) 

Right— William the Silent died in 1702. (Restrictive) 
Right. — William Henderson, the so-called silent barber, is 
the most popular tonsorial artist in town. (Non-restrictive) 
Right. — "Politics, or the science of lying/' said he unjustly, 
"is one of the causes of our lack of legislation." (Non- 
restrictive)' 



36 Handbook of Punctuation 

b. Exception 1. Commas are omitted from reflexive 
or indefinite pronouns that are joined to nouns or to 
other pronouns, and from appositive words or expres- 
sions that are necessary to complete the sense of the 
words or phrases with which they stand in apposition. 

Right. — The judge himself seemed dismayed. 
Right. — Somebody else confessed to the crime. 
Right. — The steamer Elgin arrived first. 

c. Exception 2. In appositives like the italicized 
expressions below, the custom is growing among publish- 
ers to indicate the apposition by italics instead of commas 
{see 159) : 

Right. — The adjective principal is often confused with the 

noun principle. 
Right. — In expressions like whether of them twain we have 

examples of the use of the old interrogative pronoun 

whether. 

87. (b) Contrasted Negative Words and Phrases. — 

Contrasted negative words and phrases are separated by 
commas. 

Right. — Hard work, not genius, is the stuff of which success 
is made. 

88. (c) Modifying Words in Separate Phrases or 
Clauses. — When two or more coordinate phrases or 
clauses possess in common a word that is modified or 
governed by a different word in each phrase or clause, 
they are separated by commas. 

Right. — He would have led us away from, rather than toward, 
the street for which we were looking. 

89. (d) Vocatives. — Words used in direct address 
are set off by commas. 



The Comma 37 

Right. — Marriage, little girl, is a lottery in which men stake 
their liberty and women their happiness. 

90. (e) Explanatory Dates and Geographical 
Names. — A date explaining a previous date, or a geo- 
graphical name explaining a preceding name, is set off by 
commas. 

Right. — Wilbur Wright, inventor of the airship, died May 30, 

1912, at Dayton, Ohio. 
Right. — Chicago, Illinois, is the second largest city in the 

United States. 

91. (f) Academic and Honorary Titles.— Academic 
and honorary titles are separated from proper names and 
from each other by commas. 

Right. — Reverend A. O. Barclay, D.D., LL.D., was president 
of the college. 

92. (g) Surname followed by Initials. — A comma is 
placed after a surname when followed immediately by 
the given name or the initials. 

Right. — "Smith, E. M.," said the professor, "you may recite 

first." 

93. Absolute Construction. — Participial phrases 
when used in the absolute construction are set off by 
commas. 

Right. — This being the last time she had heard from him, she 
was naturally very much uneasy. 

94. Adverbs and Adverbial Phrases. — Commas are 
used to set off adverbs and adverbial phrases when modi- 
fying, not a single word, but an entire clause or sentence 
and filling the office of a conjunction. 



38 Handbook of Punctuation 

a. However, indeed, moreover, the illative then, the 
concessive now, etc. are some of the adverbs that are thus 
set off by commas. 

b. There is considerable divergence in practice here. 
When the sentence is short, or when the adverb is felt to 
be intimately connected with the thought of the clause 
or sentence, the commas are omitted ; and often the mere 
position of the adverb determines the insertion or the 
omission of the punctuation. 

Right. — The question had therefore resolved itself into a 

matter of the veracity of the two men. 
Right. — The question, therefore, had resolved itself into a 

matter of the veracity of the two men. 
Right. — In the first place, let me say that I object to having 

sectarianism injected into the argument. 

95. After "Yes", "No", "Well", "Why", etc.— A 
comma is placed after such introductory words as yes, 
no, well, why, etc. (See also 70.) 

Wrong. — Yes I myself believe that he was in the wrong. 
Right. — Yes, I myself believe that he was in the wrong. 

96. After "namely", "that is", "i. e.", etc.— A com- 
ma is placed after namely, viz., that is, i. e., as, e. g., etc., 
when introducing an example or an illustration. (See 
also 66.) 

Wrong. — I had watched him anxiously all the year for two 
reasons ; namely because I knew he was interested in the 
team and because I thought that he would be willing to 
help us. 

Right. — I had watched him anxiously all the year for two 
reasons ; namely, because I knew he was interested in the 
team and because I thought that he would be willing to 
help us. 



The Comma 39 

97. After Interjections. — Interjections that are but 
slightly exclamatory are followed by commas. {See also 
112.) 

Wrong. — Oh! We had a fairly enjoyable trip. 
Right. — Oh, we had a fairly enjoyable trip. 

98. Before Short Quotations and Maxims. — Short 
informal quotations, maxims, and similar expressions are 
introduced by commas. 

a. But if the informal quotation or maxim is gram- 
matically connected with the rest of the sentence, the 
comma is omitted. {See 24 a.) 

Wrong. — With Browning I exclaim "The best is yet to be". 

Right. — With Browning I exclaim, "The best is yet to be". 

Wrong. — I can truly say that, "my lines have fallen in pleas- 
ant places". 

Right. — I can truly say that "my lines have fallen in pleasant 
places". 

Wrong. — The proverb* that he quoted was He learned the 

luxury of doing good. 
Right. — The proverb that he quoted was, He learned the 

luxury of doing good. 

99. Words Repeated for Emphasis. — Words re- 
peated for the sake of emphasis are separated by commas. 

Right. — Gold, gold, gold is the key that opens our doors in 
these modern days. 

100. To Indicate the Omission of Words. — A 

comma is used to indicate the omission of one or more 
words from a sentence. 

a. Often, however, such constructions are smooth 
enough not to require commas. 



40 Handbook of Punctuation 

Right. — To eat is human; to sleep, divine. 
Right. — His first utterance was followed by cheers, his second 
by hisses. 

101. After the Subject of a Sentence. — A comma is 
placed after a subject that ends in a verb, or is long and 
complex, or one that is made up of several parts which 
are themselves separated by commas. 

Right. — One of the largest wildcats ever seen in that vicinity 
and the first one of any size that has been caught near 
Waukesha for some time, was captured by a farmer east 
of the town. 

102. Before "that". — A comma is sometimes put 
before that, to prevent the reader from mistaking the 
word that for a pronoun, or to serve as a warning of 
several fAatf-clauses to come. 

a. Between verbs of saying, thinking, etc. and that 
a comma is no longer inserted. 

Right. — Then for the first time he pointed out, that good 
work depends on the condition in which one keeps one's 
body. 

Right. — It may interest others besides naturalists to state, 
that all of these birds occupied the southern limits of the 
channel, that they had finished nesting some weeks before 
our arrival, that they were still plentiful in that section, but 
that none of them were to be found more than fifty miles 
farther north. 

Wrong. — He was very wrong in supposing, that she would ac- 
cept his attentions under such circumstances. 

Right. — He was very wrong in supposing that she would ac- 
cept his attentions under such circumstances. 

103. Before or After Certain Words. — A comma is 



The Comma 41 

placed before or after certain words, especially adverbs, 
conjunctions, and prepositions, to distinguish them from 
the same words used as different parts of speech, or to 
indicate readily their precise relation to the rest of the 
sentence. 

Right. — Beyond, the hills were robed in a smoky blue. 

Right. — In the room were about sixty benches, and two stately 
chairs for the preachers. 

104. In Large Numbers. — Commas are used to 
separate large numbers of 1,000 or more into groups of 
three figures each. 

a. Exception. — The comma is omitted in street, 
telephone, and automobile numbers, dates, etc. 

Right. — The population of the United States, according to the 

census of 1910, was 93,402,151. 
Right. — His address is 4315 Chicago Avenue. 

105. After the Salutation in Letters. — A comma is 
placed after the salutation in personal letters. {See also 
62.) 

Right— Mr. A. N. Alford, 

Columbus, Ohio. 
Dear Andrew, 

106. After "Resolved" and " Whereas" in Resolu- 
tion. — A comma is put in resolutions after such intro- 
ductory words as Resolved, Whereas, etc. {See also 52.) 

Right. — Resolved, that women should be given the right of 
suffrage. 

107. General Usage. — In general, commas are used 
to indicate any distinct pauses in sentences, except such 
pauses as require other marks of punctuation. 



42 Handbook of Punctuation 

108. Caution. — Be careful not to use commas ex- 
cept where they are a distinct necessity. Guard against 
over-punctuation. The modern tendency is to omit com- 
mas unless they are necessary to the sense or to indicate 
a definite pause in the reading. 

VIII. THE INTERROGATION-POINT 

109. After Questions. — An interrogation-point is 
placed after every complete question, even though the 
sentence may be written in the declarative form. 

a. When a compound interrogative sentence is made 
up of separate independent questions or interrogative 
words, an interrogation-point is put after each separate 
query. 

b. Caution. — An interrogation-point should not be 
placed after an indirect question. 

Right. — What would you have done if you had been in his 

place? 
Right. — You say you take cream in your coffee? 
Right. — But what of his father? or his sister? or his invalid 

mother? or of 'his possible future? 
Right. — She asked whether he had been invited. 

110. After an Interrogative Part of a Sentence. — 

An interrogation-point is sometimes put only after the 
interrogative part of a sentence, when the entire sentence 
is long and not altogether interrogative. 

Right. — Could he be dreaming of wealth? — seeing that his 

soul was wrapped up in her, that he had never known want, 

and that he had no care for gold. 

111. In Parentheses. — An interrogation-point is 



The Exclamation-Point 43 

often put in parentheses after a date or a word to express 
doubt concerning the truth or accuracy of the word or 
date. (See 133.) 

Right. — Chaucer was born in 1340(?). 

IX. THE EXCLAMATION-POINT 

112. After Interjections and Exclamatory Phrases 
and Clauses. — An exclamation-point is placed after in- 
terjections and exclamatory phrases and clauses that ex- 
press strong emotion. 

a. Care should be exercised in using the exclamation- 
point. It is not needed after every interjection or after 
every exclamatory sentence, but only after those ex- 
pressing strong emotion. (See 55 and 97) 

Right. — "Ouch ! Oh! I say, stop, please," he begged of us at 
last. 

113. To Express Doubt or Sarcasm. — The ex- 
clamation-point is frequently used to express doubt or 
sarcasm. 

Right. — That man a Democrat! 
Right. — Lindell a church member! 

114. After Imperative and Declarative Sentences. 

— An exclamation-point is often put after an impera- 
tive sentence to express a strong command, or after a 
declarative sentence to express surprise at, or to lay em- 
phasis on, the truth of the fact stated. 

a. This usage is generally ignored, or else con- 
demned, by rhetoricians, but the fact that it is good usage 
cannot be denied. Literature is replete with it. Great 



44 Handbook of Punctuation 

care, however, should be exercised by the beginner in 
following this rule. The following illustrations are taken 
from A Life for a Life, by Mr. Robert Herrick, himself 
a professor of English in the University of Chicago and 
joint author of Composition and Rhetoric for Schools: 

Right. — " 'Come !' she said, passing." 

Right. — "His woman of the snows had slept and awakened — 

thus !" 
Right. — " Tor now I know', she said softly, 'what it is to 

lose all I'" 

X. THE DASH 

115. To Mark a Sudden Break in the Thought.— 

A dash is used to mark a sudden suspension of the 
thought or a violent break in the construction of the 
sentence. 

a. If the sentence is left unfinished, a dash only (no 
period) is placed after it, and the next sentence begins 
with a capital letter. 

Right. — "You mean — What do you mean?" he asked. 

116. Parenthetic Expressions. — Dashes are used to 
set off parenthetic phrases and clauses that are too much 
detached from the main thought of the sentence to be 
marked by commas and yet are too closely connected to 
be enclosed in parentheses. {See 85, 129.) 

a. Dashes thus used, constitute what is known as the 
double dash. A comma is placed before each dash only 
when the sentence would normally require such punctua- 
tion were there no parenthetic clause present. 

Right. — " Although the solid flesh of his face was lined with 



Italics 61 

in fiction, who are known as well by their nicknames as 
by their proper names. 

Not good. — "Teddy" Roosevelt; "Doc Sammy"; etc. 

Right. — Teddy Roosevelt; Doc Sammy; etc. 

155. Titles of Themes. — Unless the title of a theme 
is a quotation, do not use quotation-marks to enclose the 
title. 

XIII. ITALICS 

156. Magazines, Newspapers, and Ships. — Italics 
are used to distinguish the names of magazines, news- 
papers, and ships. See table, p. 59. 

a. Italics are also used to indicate the titles of books, 
plays, and musical compositions — and the learned jour- 
nals favor this usage, — but the preponderance of usage is 
still in favor of quotation-marks. See 150. 

Right. — Copies of the Atlantic Monthly and the Appleton 
(Wisconsin) Post were on the table before him. 

Right. — The Titantic sank on April 15, 1912. 

157. Side-heads and Paragraph Titles. — Italics are 
used to mark side-heads and the titles of sections and 
paragraphs. 

Right. — Compare 142 and the illustration given there. 

158. Foreign Words. — Unnaturalized foreign 
words are italicized. 

Exception 1. Foreign institutions or places and for- 
eign titles preceding names are not italicized; as, "The 
German Reichstag", "Rue de Rivoli", "Champs filysees", 
"Pere Lafitau", etc. 

Exception 2. Anglicized foreign words are not itali- 
cized even though they may retain the pronunciation of 



62 Handbook of Punctuation 

the original language. Such words are: aide-de-camp, 
attache, bas-relief, bona fide, bric-a-brac, cafe, chauffeur, 
confrere, data, debris, debut, decollete, denouement, doc- 
trinaire, elite, ennui, entree, ex officio, expose, fagade, 
facsimile, fete, habeas corpus, habitue, literati, litterateur, 
massage, matinee, melee, menu, naive, nee, nom de plume, 
per annum, per capita, per cent, post-mortem, prima 
facie, protege, pro tern [pore], questionnaire, rendezvous, 
resume, reveille, role, savant, sobriquet, soiree, umlaut, 
tete-a-tete, versus, via, vice versa. 

Right. — His pseudo studious habits were a joke while he was 

in college. 
Right. — "Charles Egbert Craddock" is the nom de plume of 

Miss Mary N. Murfree. 

159. For Emphasis. — Italics are used to lay stress 
upon a word when special emphasis upon it is necessary, 
or when the word is used, not to convey the idea or image 
that it normally conveys, but as a word simply. 

Caution. — Avoid italicizing words for emphasis. Do 
not use italics to stress a word or phrase unless there is 
an especially good reason for doing so. The abuse of 
italics for unnecessary emphasis on words is one of the 
commonest faults among young writers. 

Right. — Compare "as a word" in this rule. 
Wrong. — It is rum, rum alone, that is causing these evils. 
Right. — It is rum, rum alone, that is causing these evils. 
Right. — Such words as enthuse and alright have been trying 
to get into good usage for years. 

160. "Whereas" and "Resolved" in Resolutions.— 

In resolutions the words Whereas and Resolved are 
italicized. 



The Apostrophe 63 

Right. — See illustration following 52. 

161. "To be Continued", "Concluded", etc.— The 
words Continued, To be Concluded, etc. after headlines 
and titles and at the end of articles, are italicized. 

Right. — The Church and its Critics — Concluded. 

XIV. THE APOSTROPHE 

162. Possessive Case. — The apostrophe is used to 
indicate the possessive case. 

163. Possessive Case Singular. — The possessive 
case singular is regularly indicated by the apostrophe and 
s, even though the noun may end with two ss. 

Exception. — In order to avoid excessive sibilance, the 

s is sometimes omitted after nouns ending in an s-sound. 

Right. — Burns's poems were easily the most popular with 

them. 
Right. — Furness's edition is the authorative one. 
Right. — The name of Ulysses' son was Telemachus. 
Right. — For conscience' sake he did it. 

164. Possessive Case Plural. — When the plural of 
a noun ends in s, the plural possessive is formed by add- 
ing the apostrophe alone to the nominative plural. But 
if the plural does not end in s, the apostrophe and s are 
added to indicate the possessive case plural. 

Right. — Boys' shoes, not men's, are included in the sale. 

165. Possessive Case of Appositive Nouns. — The 
possessive case of appositive nouns is indicated by placing 
the apostrophe and the s after the noun nearest the object 
possessed. 



64 Handbook of Punctuation 

Right. — He was riding in Dr. Reid, the physician's, motor. 

166. Double Possessive. — Except in the case of 
possessive pronouns {see 168), the apostrophe and the s 
are used to indicate what is sometimes called the double 
possessive. 

Right. — She is a friend of Alice's. 
Right. — They are friends of ours. 

167. Other Possessives.— It is often awkward, but 
sometimes necessary nevertheless, to indicate the pos- 
sessive case of a noun that is immediately followed by a 
prepositional phrase, or to indicate the possessive case 
of two or more nouns in the same construction, each of 
which, however, possesses the object conjointly with the 
others. In such cases the apostrophe and the s are placed 
after the last noun. 

Right. — He was riding in the congressman from Mississippi's 

automobile. 
Right. — Henderson and Burns's Elementary Grammar is used. 

168. Possessive Pronouns. — Possessive pronouns 
do not take the apostrophe, though the possessive case of 
the pronominal adjectives one and other is indicated by 
the apostrophe and the ^. 

Right. — Hers, its, theirs, yours, ours; but another's, other's, 
one's. 

169. Omission of Letters or Figures. — The apos- 
trophe is used to indicate the omission of one or more 
letters from a word or of one or more figures from a date. 

Right. — "She hasn't learned to spell her name yet," he said. 
Right. — They were both members of the class of '61. 



The Hyphen 65 

170. Plurals of Figures, Letters, and Words. — The 

apostrophe is used with an ^ to indicate the plural of fig- 
ures and letters, and of words when used as words only. 

Right. — Your 2's look like small a's. 

Right. — The sentence has too many and's in it. 

171. Past Tense of Coined Verbs. — An apostrophe 
is used before a d to indicate the past tense of coined 
verbs. 

Right. — To be thee'd and thou'd thus was an unusual ex- 
perience in my daily life. 

XV. THE HYPHEN 

172. Compound Words. — A hyphen is put between 
the members of a compound word. 

a. There is much room here for individual opinion, 
for authorities differ widely as to what words should be 
written separately, what with a hyphen, and what solid. 
We find both associate-professor and associate professor, 
school room and schoolroom, and even to-day and today. 
Indeed, one may say with considerable positiveness that 
there is little uniformity of usage at all. When in doubt 
the writer should consult a good unabridged dictionary, 
the pocket dictionaries usually being useless on these 
points. (Note, however, that in the dictionaries a hyphen 
inserted does not always mean a compound word. Web- 
ster's Dictionary uses a small, faint hyphen to denote syl- 
lables and a large, black hyphen to denote compounds, 
while the Standard uses the German hyphen (s) to indi- 
cate compounds.) 

b. But, when in doubt, and in lieu of a better authori- 
ty, one may often trust to pronunciation and his own ear 



66 Handbook of Punctuation 

as to how to write a word. We usually give but one 
primary stress to a word. Even so long a word as 
groceryman has but one strongly accented syllable. There- 
fore, if each of the members of a possible compound word 
remains distinct enough to require a definite emphasis 
of its own, the two words should be written separately; 
as, black board but blackboard, tableware but table man- 
ners, etc. 

c. The following general suggestions governing the 
hyphenation of compound words, however, may be of- 
fered : — 

173. Compound Numbers Spelt Out. — Compound 
numbers between twenty and a hundred, when spelt out, 
should be hyphenated; as, twenty-one, eighty-four, etc. 

174. Fractional Adjectives. — A hyphen is placed 
between fractional adjectives, but not between simple 
fractions. 

Right. — He won by three-fourths majority. 

Right. — Three fourths of the votes were cast for him. 

175. Compound Adjectives. — A hyphen is placed 
between any two or more words that are compounded 
into a modifying adjective preceding a noun; as, sea- 
shouldering, hand-made, silver-white, sky-blue, heaven- 
sent, etc. 

Exception. — When a modifying adjective or participle 
is preceded by an adverb ending in -ly, the hyphen is 
omitted ; as, highly educated women, strictly honest men, 
etc. 

176. Compound Nouns. — The following compound 
nouns are hyphenated : — 

a. A noun made up of two nouns whose compound- 



The Hyphen 67 

ing into one is the result of mere ellipsis and an inversion 
of a phrase containing those two words ; as, letter-file 
(= a place where letters are filed away), oil-can, bell- 
boy, etc. 

b. A noun made up of two nouns, one of which modi- 
fies the other, and which together form a word with a 
different meaning from each; as, feather-edge, news- 
stand, labor-union, etc. 

c. A noun compounded of a present participle and a 
noun, and with a meaning different from either of the 
two words taken separately; as, dining-room, looking- 
glass, putting-green, etc. 

d. A noun made up of a present participle and a 
preposition that does not govern a following noun; as, 
laying-on, taking-off, etc. 

177. Hyphenated Prefixes. — Words compounded 
with the following prefixes are usually hyphenated: 
father-, mother-, brother-, sister-, parent-, great-, foster-, 
fellow-, by-, ex-, life-, half-, quarter-, non-, lieutenant-, 
vice-, ultra-, quasi-, self-, world-. 

Right. — Father-in-law, mother-queen, brother-love, sister-hook, 
parent-cells, great-grandfather, foster-child, fellow-man, 
by-product, ex-president, life-size, half-dollar, quarter- 
sawed, non-communicant, lieutenant-general, vice-admiral, 
ultra-religious, quasi-historical, self-centered, world-power. 

178. Prefixes Written Solid. — Words compounded 
with the following prefixes are usually written solid : a-, 
ante-, anti-, bi-, demi-, in-, inter-, intra-, over-, post-, 
sub-, super-, tri-, un-. 

Right. — Aback, antediluvian, antifat, biweekly, demigod, in- 
sincere, international, intramembranous , overlook, postdate, 
submarine, supernatural, tricolor, unnatural. 



68 Handbook of Punctuation 

179. Hyphenated Suffixes. — The following suffixes 
are usually hyphenated: -dealer, -elect, -god, -general 
-maker. 

Right. — Furniture-dealer, president-elect, sun-god, postmaster- 
general, book-maker. 

180. Varying Suffixes.— Variation in the use of the 
following suffixes should be noted : — 

a. Compounds of -store are hyphenated when the 
prefixed word is made up of only one syllable ; otherwise 
the hyphen is omitted ; as, book-store, grocery store. 

b. Compounds of -fold and -skin with words of one 
syllable are written solid ; with words of two or more 
syllables they are written as separate words ; as, twofold, 
forty fold, pigskin, alligator skin. 

c. Compounds of -like with words not ending in / 
are written solid; but if the prefixed word ends in /, 
the compound is hyphenated; as, godlike, businesslike, 
girl-like. 

d. Monosyllables compounded with -book, -house, 
-mill, -room, and -work as suffixes are usually written 
solid; dissyllables compounded with these suffixes are 
generally hyphenated ; trisyllables and polysyllables pre- 
ceding them are written separately ; as, handbook, pocket- 
book, reference book, poorhouse, power-house, furni- 
ture house, sazvmill, coffee-mill, cannon-ball mill, bedroom, 
lecture-room, commercial room, handwork, metal-work, 
tessellated zvork. 

181. Compounds of Abnormally Associated Words. 
— A hyphen is placed between any two words ab- 
normally associated for the sake of producing a single 
sentence element; as, safety-valve, sense-perception, bas- 
relief, etc. 



The Hyphen 



69 



182. General Usage Concerning Compounds. — In 

general, a hyphen is placed between any two or more 
words when the insertion of the hyphen will give the 
newly compounded word a different meaning, or when 
the hyphen is necessary to make the word perform the 
function of a single element in the sentence; as, poor 
box and poor-box, drawing room and drawing-room, etc. 

183. Hyphenated Words. — The following words 
should be hyphenated : — 

letter-head 

man-of-war 

mail-box 

new-comer 

note-paper 

object-lesson 

oil-cloth 

one-horse (adj) 

page-proof 

pay-roll 

postage-stamp 

post-card 

post-office 

school-boy 

184. Words Written Solid. — The following words 
should be written solid: — 

already ( a dv) anything cannot 

although anyway childhood 

altogether anywhere classmate 

anybody baseball coeducation 

anyhow birthday daybreak 

anyone blacksmith earthenware 



bay-window 

birth-rate 

blood-relation 

cross-examine 

cross-reference 

death-rate 

every-day(ady) 

feast-day 

folk-song 

food-stuff 

foot-note 

gas-light 

good-bye 

guinea-pig 



school-teacher 

sea-level 

so-called (adj) 

stand-by (n) 

subject-matter 

title-page 

to-day 

to-morrow 

to-night 

trade-mark 

well-being 

well-nigh 

wide-spread 

will-power 



70 



Handbook of Punctuation 



everybody 

everyone 

everything 

everywhere 

expressman 

facsimile 

farewell 

fireproof 

foolscap 

football 

foreman 

forever 

gateman 

greenhouse 

groceryman 

hardware 

herein 

hereupon 

herewith 

herself 

himself 

hitherto 

hundredweight 

inasmuch 

inside 

instead 

itself 

juryman 

landlady 

landowner 

laundryman 

lawsuit 

lookout 

lumberman 



maybe (adv) 

meantime 

midnight 

misprint 

misspell 

moreover 

motorman 

myself 

nevertheless 

newsboy 

newspaper 

nickname 

nobody 

northeast 

noteworthy 

nothing 

nowadays 

nowhere 

notwithstanding 

nowise 

oftentimes 

oneself 

outburst 

outdo 

outgoing 

outset 

outside 

outsider 

outstretch 

sometimes 

pasteboard 

postman 

postmaster 

postmistress 



praiseworthy 

railroad 

reinvest 

rewrite 

saleslady 

salesman 

saleswoman 

shirtwaist 

sidewalk 

silverware 

sixpence 

somebody 

somehow 

something 

sometime 

someway 

somewhat 

somewhere 

southeast 

spendthrift 

staircase 

straightforward 

surname 

tableware 

taxicab 

taxpayer 

textbook 

thereabouts 

thereafter 

thereat 

therefor 

therefore 

therein 

thereto 



The Hyphen 



71 



thereupon 

therewith 

threescore 

together 

tradesman 

typewriter 

upbuild 



watermelon 

whenever 

whereabouts 

whereas 

wherefore 

whereof 

wherever 



whichever 
whoever 
without 
withstand 
workshop 
yourself 
zoology 
-Write the fol- 



185. Words Written Separately.- 

lowing as separate words: — 
all right good morning per cent 

awhile (n) in order postal card 

downtown (adv) near by (adv) pro tern 

every time no one some day 

186. Omission of Part of a Compound Word. — 
When the same word occurs in the latter part of two or 
more successive, hyphenated, compound modifiers, the 
word is frequently omitted from the first modifier and 
its place indicated by a hyphen. 

Right. — The eighth- and ninth-grade boys drilled next. 
Right. — He had fifty dollars in one-, five-, and ten-cent pieces. 

187. Word Division. — A hyphen is used to divide 
a word at the end of a line. 

a. Care should be taken to insert the hyphen only 
between complete syllables. But here the difficulty comes : 
one cannot always trust either the pronunciation or the 
etymology of a w r ord for its syllabication. In such words 
as ne-ga-tion and per-mit there is little or no room for 
doubt; but in others, as fa-ther and moth-er, ves-tal and 
vest-ure, for-mer and form-al, one may be sure of ac- 
curacy only by consulting a reliable dictionary. In syl- 
labication in general, however, the following rules, though 
overlapping in some cases, may be observed with profit : 



72 Handbook of Punctuation 

b. Insert a hyphen — 

1. After a long vowel or a short unaccented vowel 
when followed by a single consonant or a group of con- 
sonants forming an indivisible consonant combination; 
as, la-dy, tri-fle, di-vine, justi-fy, photogra-phy. But see 
c 5 below. 

2. After a single consonant or an indivisible con- 
sonant combination when preceded by a short, accented 
vowel; as, lov-ing, loz-enge, bisk-op, diaph-anous. 

3. Between double consonants (except plurals of 
nouns ending in double-^) and successive consonants not 
forming an indivisible consonant combination ; as, rub- 
ber, cus-tom, confession, conversion. But see c 9 below. 

4. Between a prefix or a suffix and the root word; 
as pre-eminent, retro-act, Jcw-ish, love-ly. 

5. Before nominal -er, -or, -ment, -ness, and -Hon; 
as, hunt-er, debt-or, adjust-ment, shy-ness, avia-tion. 

6. Before verbal -ing, and -ed when pronounced as 
a separate syllable ; as, fly-ing, hunt-ed, but loved. 

7. Before adjectival -er, -est, -ble, -ful, and -ish; as, 
high-er, bright-est, edi-ble, hope-ful, brut-ish. 

8. Before adverbial -bly and -ly; as, grave-ly, staid- 
ly, immttta-bly. 

c. Caution: 

1. Do not divide a syllable of one letter from the 
rest of the word. 

Wrong-. — a-ble, i-tinerant, ver-y. 

2. Do not divide a monosyllable. 
Wrong. — mob-bed, tho-ugh. 

3. Do not divide inseparable consonant combina- 
tions, such as ph in phonetic, th in think and the, sh in 
lash, gh in cough (or when silent), tch in match, gn in 
sign, or ck in track. 



The Hyphen 73 

4. Do not begin a line with a hyphen. 

5. Do not separate a consonant from a vowel that 
affects its pronunciation; as, nec-essity for ne-cessity, 
wag-er for wa-ger, rag-ing for ra-ging, etc. 

£. Do not divide a diphthong or separate two suc- 
cessive vowels, one of which is silent. 

Wrong. — ana-esthetic, pe-ople, wa-iling. 

7. Do not separate a syllable that has been added to 
a word by the addition of a plural s. 

Wrong. — hors-es, palac-es, financ-es. 

8. Do not divide hyphenated w r ords except at the 
syllable where the regular hyphen comes. 

Not good. — pock-et-book, fool-kill-er. 

9. Do not make awkward divisions. 

Not good. — noth-ing, crac-kle, ei-ther, vision, eight-een. 

188. To Indicate Syllables. — A hyphen is used to 
indicate the separate syllables in a word; as, quo-ta-tion, 
syl-ia-ble. 

189. To Mark Roots, Prefixes, and Suffixes. — A 
hyphen is used to mark incomplete words, roots, pre- 
fixes, and suffixes. 

Right. — The root ret- may be noted next. 
Right. — The verbal ending in that case is -ed. 

XVI. BRACKETS 

190. In Direct Quotations. — Brackets are used in 
direct quotations to enclose matter written, not by the 
author quoted, but by the person quoting. 



74 Handbook of Punctuation 

a. Brackets, [ ], should not be confused with paren- 
theses, ( ). In a quotation, words enclosed in paren- 
theses are understood to have been written by the author 
of the quotation; words enclosed in brackets are under- 
stood to have been interpolated by the one quoting. 

Wrong. — "His (Paderewski's) young manhood was full of 
pathos, and he put the tragedy of his grief into his playing." 

Right. — "His [Paderewski's] young manhood was full of 
pathos, and he put the tragedy of his grief into his playing." 

Right. — "Swinburn[e]'s education in Germany [France] was 
begun . . . ." 

191. Parentheses within Parentheses. — Brackets 
are used for parentheses within parentheses. - 

Right. — Trench's statement (see his On the Study of Words 
[revised English edition], p. 83) is that the Germans, know- 
ing nothing of carbuncles . . . ." 

XVII. ASTERISKS 

192. Material Omitted from a Quotation. — Aster- 
isks are used to indicate the omission of material from a 
direct quotation. 

a. When the quotation is long and several para- 
graphs or pages are omitted, the omission is commonly 
indicated by a series of asterisks inserted between the 
paragraphs. But when only a few phrases or sentences 
are omitted from a paragraph, it is present usage to in- 
sert a series of periods, or dots, between the sentences 
to indicate the omitted words or sentences. (See 138) 

Right. — "For the most wild yet most homely narrative which 
I am about to pen, I neither expect nor solicit belief. Mad 



Asterisks 75 

indeed would I be to expect it, in a case where my very 
senses reject their own evidence. Yet, mad am I not — and 
very surely do I not dream. But to-morrow I die, and to- 
day I would unburden my soul. 

>j« % $z ;fs SJS Jji J-< 

"Of my own thoughts it is folly to speak. Swooning, I 
staggered to the opposite wall. For one instant the party 
on the stairs remained motionless, through extremity of 
terror and awe. In the next a dozen stout arms were toil- 
ing at the wall. It fell bodily. The corpse, already greatly 
decayed and clotted with gore, stood erect before the eyes 
of the spectators. Upon its head, with red extended mouth 
and solitary eye of fire, sat the hideous beast whose craft 
had seduced me into murder, and whose informing voice 
had consigned me to the hangman. I had walled the mons- 
ter up within the tomb !'' 

Right. — "There are very, very few natural deaths : most 
people die through accident, because a part gives out. . . 
. . And they float into paradise on the fumes of a cheap 
cocktail." 

XVIIL FOOT-NOTES 

193. References. — When references, formal or in- 
formal, are made in an essay to an author, book, or maga- 
zine, the precise volume and page to which reference is 
made should be given in a foot-note at the bottom of the 
page. 

a, Such foot-notes should be separated from the 
main body of the text by heavily ruled lines and should 
be numbered consecutively throughout the essay by small 
arabic numerals placed before them ; and the reader's at- 



76 Handbook of Punctuation 

tention should be directed to these notes by a correspond- 
ing numeral placed in the essay at the end of the refer- 
ence or quotation and a bit above the line. 

b. When frequent references are made to the same 
volume or work, instead of repeating the title, the ab- 
breviations loc. cit. (loco citato, in the place [already] 
cited) and op. cit. (opere citato, in the work cited) are 
used. This avoids repetition of the same reference. 
And when the references to the same work are successive, 
ibid, (abbreviation for ibidem) is used. 

Right. — D'Israeli, Curiosities of Literature, 61. 
Ibid., 142. 
Loc. cit., chap. 3. 

c. The following illustration is taken from the Pub- 
lications of the Modem Language Association for March, 
1912 (p. 27) : 

"To Carlyle the merit is due of making Goethe popular in 
England," says Miss Carr in an article on Goethe in his Con- 
nection with English Literature. 1 Mr. Alford points out that "the 
first beginnings of the study of Goethe in England came fifty 
years before Carlyle," 2 and notes that "in the year 1780 3 a trans- 
lation of Werther first introduced Goethe to the notice of English- 
men. This became popular and passed through several editions." 

d. When one is preparing manuscript for the printer, 
foot-notes — or, more properly, what are to become foot- 
notes later on the printed page — are put immediately 
below the reference or quotation, and are separated from 
the body of the text by heavy lines, thus : 



1. Pub. of English Goethe Society, No. iv, p. 56. (London, 1888.) 

2. R. G. Alford, Goethe's Earliest Critics in England. Idem, No. vii, 

p. 8 f. (London, 1893.) 

3. This should be 1779. (See above, note 1, p. 26.) 



Abbreviations 77 

These were, in a sense, the Oxford scholarships * of the four- 

1 The money was, however, only lent, security being required. 

teenth century. To each of them was attached the name of the 
benefactor, the sum given by him, and the object of the founda- 
tion 

Such an arrangement of foot-notes is a distinct aid to 
the printer. 

XIX. ABBREVIATIONS 

194. Abbreviations to be Avoided. — One should 
avoid the use of abbreviations; they are in bad taste in 
literary work (including letters) of any kind. No ab- 
breviations should be employed except those that one 
knows to be used, not by the newspapers, but by writers 
of standard English prose. 

195. Abbreviations in Good Usage. — The follow- 
ing abbreviations, however, are in good use: Mr., Mrs., 
Messrs., Dr., when used before proper names ; Jr., Esq., 
and the initial abbreviations A.B., Ph.D., U.S.N., etc., 
when used after proper names ; and such general abbre- 
viations as etc., viz., q. v., i. e., e. g., a. m., p. m. (also 
a. m. and p. m.), St. (Saint), A. D., B. C. 

196. Abbreviations Permitted in Correspondence. 
— In correspondence P. S., inst., f. o. b., the abbrevia- 
tions for the months of the year (except March, April, 
May, June, July), and the abbreviations for the states of 
the Union are usually found. But because Cal. is often 
mistaken for Col., Miss, for Missouri, etc., it is better to 



78 Handbook of Punctuation 

spell out Alaska, California, Colorado, Idaho, Iozva, 
Maine, Mississippi, Missouri, Ohio, and Utah. 

a. In business letters the abbreviations Co., Bros., 
and "&" may be used if the firms addressed use them so ; 
otherwise the words should be spelled out. 

197. Personal Titles. — Better usage now demands 
that such titles as Professor, President, Governor, Rever- 
end, Captain, Colonel, General, etc. be spelled out, not 
abbreviated. 

198. Caution 1. — Note that many abbreviations 
that are proper when used with other expressions or in 
the address of letters, are improper when used alone or 
in the body of a composition. 

Wrong. — He came this p. m. 

Right. — He came at four p. m. 

Wrong. — We had to call a Dr. 

Right. — We had to call a doctor. 

Wrong. — The meeting is to be held in Sept. in Ga. 

Right. — The meeting is to be held in September in Georgia. 

199. Caution 2. — Note also that many abbrevia- 
tions (such as vol., p., I., ed.) that are allowable in foot- 
notes, bibliographies, parenthetic citations, etc., are not 
permitted in the body of a composition. 

Right in a foot-note. — Cf. Century Diet., vol. I, p. xv. 
Wrong in an essay. — I had read up to the eighteenth p. of 

the 2d vol. 
Right in an essay. — I had read up to the eighteenth page of 

the second volume. 



Numbers 79 

XX. NUMBERS 

200. Street Numbers, Dates, etc. — Cardinal num- 
bers designating street numbers, telephone numbers, auto- 
mobile numbers, dates, pages or divisions of books (chap- 
ters, paragraphs, etc.) should be written in figures, not 
spelled out. 

Caution. — After dates ending in d use d only, not nd 
or rd. 

Wrong. — Our telephone number is one thousand three hundred 

ninety-seven. 
Right. — Our telephone number is 1397. 

Wrong. — I was born July the seventh, eighteen hundred 

eighty-one. 
Right.— I was born July 7, 1881. 

Not good. — George Eliot was born November 22nd, 1819. 
Right. — George Eliot was born November 22d, 1819. 

201. Ordinal Numbers. — Ordinal numbers are 
customarily spelled out, though ordinals designating days 
of the month may be either spelled out or expressed in 
figures. 

a. In the address of letters it is particularly important 
that ordinals be written out, since such ordinals are pre- 
ceded by house numbers in arabic and confusion may 
easily be caused. 

Right. — That was about the hundredth time I had heard the 
professor's joke. 

Right. — Thanksgiving day fell on the thirtieth of November 
that year. 

Right. — May 23d, I remember, was rainy. 

Right. — 614 Forty-second Street, New York. 



80 Handbook of Punctuation 

202. Cardinal Numbers. — In connected discourse, 
cardinal numbers that cannot be expressed in one or two 
words should be written in figures. 

Not go o d— $8,000,000 worth of stocks were sold. 
Right. — Eight million dollars worth of stocks were sold. 
Wrong. — The amount of the collection was fourteen dollars 

and seventy-eight cents. 
Right. — The amount of the collection was $14.78. 
Wrong. — The university is 18 miles from the city proper. 
Right. — The university is eighteen miles from the city proper. 
Wrong. — The price of the cloth was $.98. 
Right. — The price of the cloth was ninety-eight cents. 

203. Large and Small Numbers in Same Sentence. 

— If in the same sentence or paragraph several num- 
bers or sums of money are mentioned, some of which 
are so long that they must be expressed in figures, all the 
numbers or sums should be written in figures. 

a. In other words, be consistent. Do not spell out 
numbers in one sentence and use figures in the next. 

Right.— After I had expended $30 for board, $11.18 for books, 
and $12 for room rent, I had $46.82 left for incidental 
expenses. 

204. Caution 1. — When designating sums of money 
in connected discourse, do not write .00, do not write the 
decimal point above the line, and do not express in fig- 
ures sums of less than one dollar. 

Not good.— -His bill that month amounted to $175.00. 
Right. — His bill that month amounted to $175. 
Wrong. — They were making a special sale on the medicine 
that day at $.98. 



Numbers 81 

Wrong. — They were making a special sale on the medicine 

that day at $0.98. 
Right. — They were making a special sale on the medicine that 

day at ninety-eight cents. 

Wrong. — The total cost was $4-15. 
Right. — The total cost was $4.15. 

205. Caution 2. — Do not begin a sentence with 
figures; and except in legal or commercial letters and 
documents do not repeat in parenthesized figures a num- 
ber or a sum of money that has just been spelled out. 
But in legal or commercial documents (where such repeti- 
tion is often necessary) write the parenthesized number 
or sum immediately after the expression it repeats. 

Not good. — Enclosed please find ten ($10) dollars, for which 

send me .... 
Right. — Enclosed please find ten dollars ($10), for which send 



82 Handbook of Punctuation 



r-n z ° 

uJ Time Symbolism.] — In both of the preceding conventions (as noted in 

V last months P acifi c ), where a distance of a few feet is used to repre- <S£. 

3^ A — ^*y 

// ~^ e nt as many m i|es an^ wfie re one person may symbolize aTTtmitgd or 
j^XiJC- H*^ % h««se»4, the usage would seem to rei have been due, partly at least, 

~thS to the necessary limitations of spacefill the meagre Corpus Christi stage. • j 

j/^\ buHn the next convention, time symbolism^ the usage can be attributed /^tl- 

0L- only toTr*^ lack of realization on the part of the.of crudity and incon- 0Wv_ J x*^-*-*— c "* r j££^ 

y gruity to represent the creation of Adam a/d Eve, the expulsion from ^s 

I 1"" 3 the garden of Eden, and Cain and Abel | at lne f age of "jt^tT years," all oaJp^i> 

Q^) withm the compass of one continuous scene. To us of to-davthe cus- v— ^ 

*A torn Vwould,seern morej-easonable if there were some .Break in the -*■"* £ - 

** *■ i — i (O f^i "^ ' 

scenes to indicate the passage of time; ^ ul there is none.~gIn the same ^(_ _ 



/£* 



V 



way it is difficult for us of today to conceive of the - C'u r st r r dramatists, f~sCr*^-~ \/ 



A 

daring in representing the forty days in the wilder ness by a single cor.- v • 



X*r~ t'.nuous scene of perhaps tenminutes length..- 

-C &i xx r- v/ ; * J v' r # * 7 

&L£ _//__ 4hc same crudity,jKpwever, is to be found in the plays of allllhe cycles. A, ^^ 

'X2**-?— In the Wakefield ^veak - attd -the- A-r-fo for instance, a space of "thre hun- 
\_ J___ deretfe dayes and fyfty. is supposed to elapse within the time taken \/ 



,1+ 



to <^uote forty-five lines, and in the corresponding is even more carefully / £ \ 



• i presented. Here Noah says- 



J 



A ioo_wyiHps and 20 

This shipp /naking taried haue I. 



Specimen Corrected Proof Sheet 



Explanation of Proof Corrections 83 

EXPLANATION OF PROOF CORRECTIONS 

1. Put in CAPITALS. 

2. Put in SMALL CAPITALS. 

3. Put in italics. 

4. Not italics ; roman type. 

5. Put in black face type. 

6. Lower case; small letter. 

7. Delete; omit. 

8. Restore the words crossed out. 

9. Substitute for the letter stricken out. 

10. Several lines omitted ; see copy. 

11. Insert a period. 

12. Insert a comma. 

13. Insert an apostrophe. 

14. Insert a colon. 

15. Insert a semicolon. 

16. Insert quotation-marks. 

17. Insert a hyphen. 

18. Imperfect letter. 

19. Letter inverted ; turn over. 

20. Indent. 

21. Make a new paragraph. 

22. No paragraph. 

23. Put in space. 

24. Close up ; no space needed. 

25. Smaller space. 

26. Badly spaced; space more evenly. 

27. Space shows between the words ; shove down. 

28. Wrong font. 

29. Transpose. 

30. Carry to the left. 

31. Carry to the right. 

32. Elevate. 

33. Lower. 

34. Straighten crooked line. 

35. Query: Is the proof correct? 



84 Handbook of Punctuation 

MARKS USED IN CORRECTING THEMES 



amb 


= ambiguous. 


ant 


= antecedent not clear. 


cap 


= capitalize. 


cl 


= not clear. 


cts 


= construction faulty. 


coh 


= coherence not good. 


con 


= connective (or connection) not good. 


Consult 


: = bring theme to the instructor for consultation, 


S l 


= delete ; omit. 


D 


= see the dictionary. 


E 


= error (not specified). 


FW 


= "fine writing". 


Gr 


= bad grammar. 


K 


= awkward. 


lc 


= change capital to small letter. 


P 


= punctuation bad. 


Rep 


= same word or sound repeated too much. 


sent 


= wrong form of sentence. 


SI 


= slang. 


Sp 


= bad spelling. 


SU 


= sentence lacks unity. 


T 


= wrong tense. 


tr 


= transpose. 


word 


= word improperly used. 


ffCoh 


= coherence between paragraphs not good. 


1TU 


= paragraph lacks unity. 


IT 


= paragraph needed ; make a new paragraph. 


NoH 


= no paragraph needed. 


_J 


= indent. 


'*""* 


= join the words together. 


# 


= separate into two words. 





= hyphen needed. 



Exercise for Correction 85 

EXERCISES FOR CORRECTION * 

1. Counting nibbling a woman eats about as much 
as a man. (93) 

2. The discovery "1851" of this lost work — Against 
all the Heresies — puts us in possession of much new in- 
formation. (28, 86, 129, 150, 156 a) 

3. William was the twenty one year old son of a 
Yeggman who had been compelled to flee from New 
York to Texas three months before. (25, 173) 

4. When he went crazy he was trying to measure 
with his eye the exact number of miles that Jupiter was 
distant from the Earth and the Moon. (42, 83) 

5. Dame nature that morning was resplendent in all 
her brightest garments of green. (44) 

6. But the idea always held before the actor is that 
of work — hard work — continuous work. (99) 

7. He would help himself to two or three pieces of 
chicken at one time and then quote the proverb from 
Benjamin Franklins Poor Richards Almanac, God helps 
them that help themselves." (60, 134, 145, 150, 156, 163) 

8. Having been approved by Pres. Jackson this bill 
became effective the following summer. (84, 197) 

9. $8,000.00 was the sum he invested in the land and 
he says now that he would be satisfied to get $5,000.00 
for it. (72, 202, 204, 205) 

10. The beginning and the end of Mr. Hubbard's 
editorial are worthy of comment. There are only two 
paragraphs, let me quote them to you. 

"There is a new religion. It has come without blare 
of brass, without fanfare of words, without shoutings, 
without argument, agitation, or violence. This new 
religion is slowly and surely conquering the world. It 

1. Numbers refer to paragraph divisions in the text. 



86 Handbook of Punctuation 

is being preached from every pulpit in Christendom, and 
is being advocated by all rabbis, priests, preachers, and 
teachers. It is so reasonable, so gentle, so simple, so 
obvious, that it is being accepted without opposition — 
aye, without the realization that it exists." 

"It is the Religion of Common Sense. Its tenets are 
industry, economy, efficiency, expediency, reciprocity, ap- 
preciation, good cheer, mutuality, cooperation, all il- 
lumined by love." (60, 65, 118, 138, 192) 

11. The sort of book that I prefer is one on which 
I can feel that I have spent my time profitably. One that 
presents an uplifting thought so vividly that it gives me 
food for thought day after day. (121) 

12. Perhaps you have heard me quote before that, 
"No joy is complete unless one may give a part of it to 
another." (24 a, 140) 

13. Who Sir. You Sir. No Sir. Not I Sir. Who 
then Sir. You Sir. (65, 89, 109, 125, 134) 

14. Macaroni of course was the term applied at that 
time to the London dude. (94, 152) 

15. Soon after understanding failed and he died 
within the hour. (103) 

16. The golf course extended in the direction of but 
not down to the lake. (88) 

17. Maine, Massachusetts, Connecticut and New 
York produced 6496000 of the 6500000 gallons reported 
in 1849_of which Massachusetts contributed 3786000 gal- 
lons or nearly 60% of the whole. (76, 82, 86, 104, 194) 

18. The fact that there is an annually increasing 
deficit in the U. S. treasury and that some scheme and 
plan to raise this necessary revenue must be devised is 
already too well-known to need any further comment. 
(101, 172 6, 194) 

19. In regard to the student of Rhetoric I feel like 



Exercises for Correction 87 

making the same statement, he must have a thorough 
knowledge of the rudiments of the subject before he can 
create for himself an individual interest in it. (54, 59) 

20. He cared not, he said, what caste, creed or color, 
slavery might assume, he was for it's total it's instant 
abolition. (65, 74, 76, 108, 168) 

21. He read us fiction and history — Biblical and pro- 
fane writings — English and foreign works— -and in fact 
almost anything that we could think to ask for. (31, 79, 
85) 

22. After the ad copy has left the advertising man, 
it is placed in the hands of the advertising manager of 
the newspaper. We are now dealing with metropolitan 
newspapers, not with country fly leaves. His business 
is to secure a position in the edition and to see that all 
the copy, mats, cuts, etc. are present. (56, 129, 130, 151) 

23. Because of her centuries of lack of training in 
facing the world, because there is some one made in her 
stead to take care of the coarser affairs of life and because 
her place is to care for the finer things and to be a help- 
meet for man, on the whole because of her general in- 
ability woman should not be allowed to vote. (69, 73, 
120) 

24. It was in the fall of 94 that Miss Harrison while 
on her way to the Public Library first met Hannerty. 
(41, 85, 169) 

25. There is no truer proverb than the one which 
tells us that, "A watched pot never boils, and yet a 
watched pot will boil if one waits long enough. (24, 65, 
98, 149) 

26. By the time 12-30 came I had heard enough of 
Luke 11-17 and every other text in the whole bible. (31, 
63) ^ 

27. When Homer lived — 850 ? B. C. — such customs 



88 Handbook of Punctuation 

were known and accepted as a matter of course. (83, 
129, 191) 

28. His brilliant coat, immaculate when he started, 
was covered with mud, and his horse, his second mount, 
by the way, was covered with white lather. (116) 

29. His purpose in talking so much about the Vedas 
and the Hindu philosophy was to illuminate the teach- 
ings of the book of books. (31) 

30. Something, perhaps a sense of loyalty, the right 
kind of loyalty, too, to William, made him hold his tongue. 
(117) 

31. "In a few weeks when you are strong enough 
we will all take a trip together, that is Father and Dudley 
and I and maybe Henry (I don't mean Henry, I mean 
Mr. Scales) maybe Mr. Scales will go too." (66, 85, 96, 
65, 115) 

32. During the period of the civil war, (1861 to 
1865) it was probably higher than it has ever been before 
or since. (36, 126, 130) 

33. When school opened she asked : Can any of you 
tell me the author of the quotation, A primrose by the 
river's brim a yellow primrose was to him, and it was 
nothing more? (24, 83, 134, 135, 142) 

34. No sir, but I can go this afternoon and be back 
easily in time for work tomorrow morning. (70, 89, 
183) 

35. I'll be with you when the flowers bloom in 
Spring, she quoted with a touch of affectation. (25, 134) 

36. The roll began with Anderson — C. G. and ended 
with Wiley— C. T. (92) 

37. As inquirers we have two methods open to us ; 
one is to choose from among all the views suggested by 
the various sects, the other is to divest our minds of all 
prejudice and strike out for ourselves. (64, 67, 86) 



Exercises for Correction 89 

38. "I, I, I didn't get in, precisely at ten" I stam- 
mered. (124, 144) 

39. In this business he spent thirty three years of 
his life until in fact he was called to be the governor of 
his State. (27, 85, 122, 173) 

40. The bill for that day included a number en- 
titled Swat the Fly an uproariously short comic ridiculous 
subject. (74, 86, 150, 156) 

41. He is one of the singularly fortunate men, who 
are permitted not only to perform noble actions but to 
leave a worthy record of their history. (80, 82, 87) 

42. Yes he will probably be successful as the world 
views success but he will never be a great man. (72, 85, 

95 ) 

43. Immediately after breakfast Helen in company 
with some of the boys from town w r ent to the water melon 
patch to see if the trap had worked. (73, 184) 

44. Louis says he is really ill but it is their opinion 
that he will get well as soon as he stays at Mrs. Jones' 
house about a day. (72, 163) 

45. Unless something unforeseen happens you may 
expect me to take a trip through Yellowstone park with 
you before the Summer is over. (25, 29, 83) 

46. My maxim, I replied when my time came, is a 
good old one ; it is ; "There is no man suddenly either 
excellently good or extremely evil." (98, 134, 142, 144, 
145) 

47. "When duty duty calls, Ave must obey." Anon. 
(123) 

48. Free Methodists. Located chiefly in Michigan, 
Illinois, and western New York. (127, 157) 

49. Count Henri Yon Milo, L.L.D. was among the 
invited guests. (49, 56, 91) 

50. Whereas it has pleased the almighty father to 



90 Handbook of Punctuation 

remove from our midst our beloved brother Henry Can- 
Ion, and whereas it has been our privilege to be intimate- 
ly associated with him for the past three years, and 
whereas we have always found him a faithful student, 
a loyal friend, and a Christian gentleman, therefore be it 
resolved that we extend to his bereaved Father and 
Mother, Dr. and Mrs. Henry Canlon our deepest sym- 
pathy and grief in the loss that they and our College have 
experienced (27, 30, 52, 69, 86, 106, 160) 

51. Barnes and Jenkins How to Study Nature was 
the book that I studied during my Freshman year. (27, 
150, 156, 167) 

52. At that instant, simultaneously* with the explo- 
sion of my gun he relaxed his whole body on the boulder 
and within ten steps of his cave his head fell lifelessly 
back. (72, 85) 

53. Be not blasphemous. All such men have some- 
thing divine in their souls. (114) 

54. Their friendship she claimed when they asked 
her about him, was purely Platonic. (25, 85) 

55. Oh! Heavens, she exclaimed, what are you 
trying to do. (27,97, 109, 112) 

57. Our expenses were $3.18 for gasoline, ten dol- 
lars for board, $1.25 for tips, and exactly $21.00 for 
repairs. (203,204) 

58. On the afternoon of labor day papa told my sis- 
ter and me to get ready for an automobile trip, as he 
was going down past the old Methodist Church on the 
Waverley turnpike. (27, 29, 35) 

59. My Father has asked me to inquire whether you 
can go with the party next week to Manitowoc? (27, 
109) 

60. Mr. Mackenzie's The Little World which we 



Exercises for Correctiox 91 

have already referred to, is being widely read all over 
the west. (34, 82, 150, 156) 

61. In poetry the rude man requires only to see 
something going on, the man of more refinement wishes 
to feel, the truly refined man must be made to reflect. 
(65) 

62. We were particularly anxious to win for two 
reasons, first, because that college had always been a 
particular rival of ours, and second because the winning 
of this game would mean the state championship. (61, 
67, 94, 107) 

63. Mr. D'e will continue his school until the middle 
of August but he finds it hard work as his sleep is so 
much broken into at night. (72, 83, 128) 

64. I can truthfully say that I do not regard him as 
a man for the place, but the man. (159) 

65. That the father of us all would protect him in 
his wanderings and w r ould finally bring him safely home 
she never doubted. (30, 73) 

66. He had grow T n tired of studying and reading 
when a happy thought came to him, why not go hunting? 
(45,64) 

67. He pronounced potato, tater, and asparagus, 
sparrer grass. (153) 

68. The ancients, Jews and Heathens believed that 
the spirits of deceased persons sometimes made them- 
selves visible on earth assuming bodily forms though of 
an aerial substance. (80, 84, 86) 

69. In English and German speaking countries and 
occasionally in France this is to be noted. (85, 175, 186) 

70. "The lips of the priest (he quoted) shall keep 
knowledge, and they (the people) shall seek the law at 
his mouth, because he is the angel (or messenger) of 
the Lord of hosts." (144, 190) 



92 Handbook of Punctuation 

71. We people in New Orleans can not understand 
how people in the north confuse Creoles w T ith Negroes. 
(33, 34, 184) 

72. Henry was chief of the Oneidas, Ben of the 
Yemassees, Harry of the Delawares, and Ellen was go- 
ing to be Matiwan. (65, 100) 

73. The fact is he is somewhat of a savant, a man of 
taste and a recognized writer. (76, 94, 158) 

74. Hearn's accounts of his childhood and youth 
are not trustworthy but we may believe him when he 
says, that he was wilful beyond all reason. (72, 102) 

75. If your girl is good looking tell her so, if she is 
not talk about the weather. (65, 83) 

76. No matter how things may twist themselves 
now Woodrow Wilson, President of Princeton Uni- 
versity will be the next governor of New Jersey. (32, 
94) ^ 

77. During the revolution and until the civil war 
the custom was kept up but it has practically fallen into 
disuse now. (36, 72) 

78. If the number of A.B.s given in 1911 and in 
1912 be taken into account it will be found that the pro- 
portion to the whole body of graduates is relatively small. 
(83, 170) 

79. It is the purpose of the "men and religion for- 
ward movement" to make Smith, and Brown, and Jones 
believe that church is a good thing and that church 
services are worth attending. (38, 77) 

80. Most people see in the resolution a thrust made 
by the senate at the president for his action in vetoing 
their tariff measure. (27, 39) 

81. The second Congress of Mine Workers met in 
the Hillman building July 8, 1912 and remained in session 
during the week. (40, 41, 90, 100) 



Exercises for Correction 93 

82. Mr. Holliday's Wit and Humor of Colonial 
Days contains an account of the various versions of 
Yankee Doodle which, if not entirely new, is well worth 
commenting upon. 

83. My thanksgiving vacation was spent at my 
Grandmothers. 

84. Mr. Marshall is a hoosier and a descendant of 
John Marshall, Chief Justice of the supreme court of 
the United States. 

85. And not the least enjoyable part of the evening's 
entertainment was the music furnished by the second 
Wisconsin regiment band. 

86. That is the thought to be developed in the para- 
graph should be given in the first sentence. 

87. "Thinking begets thinking/' Oliver Twist. 

88. The sunlight was still resting upon the tops of 
her white sails, little dashes of gold on a background of 
snow, but none of us were interested in her goodly ap- 
pearance. 

89. Every time I want anything, and cry for it, (be- 
cause I can't make them understand I want anything un- 
less I cry for it), they give me more Baby Food. 

90. Let it be known that before the experiments on 
diphtheria were begun about 70% of the victims of the 
disease succumbed while now after a few guinea pigs 
and rabbits have been sacrificed, only 10% of the patients 
die. 

91. Despite the efforts of the Hague conference it 
is said that her maritime kingdom is to be forcibly divided 
and given to her rivals. 

92. The garden of his house in Worcestershire was 
painted by Sargent in his Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose. 

93. He, himself, is a catholic and his parents before 
him were all catholics. 



94 Handbook of Punctuation 

94. "Have you seen her." "Yes she was over at our 
house this morning." 

95. When Elizabeth came to the throne in 1559, I 
am not sure that this date is correct, she found the country 
all torn up with petty dissensions. 

96. "If I had only listened to you," she went on ! 
"But my self will blinded me." 

97. We had won by clean consistent playing by faith- 
ful practice and by the fact that our coach understood 
the game and how to handle his men. 

98. Millet had likewise a high talent in stained glass 
design and is the designer of an important window in 
the Harvard memorial hall. 

99. This so called puppy love does not always en- 
dure, perhaps it best not, for a girls last love is usually 
more sane than her first. 

100. In these rooms were reserved especially for 
committee meetings of all kinds. 

101. All during the Spring our Dramatic Club, for 
so we styled ourselves, had been working hard rehearsing 
our final play. 

102. "But my friend," he exclaimed, "that is pre- 
cisely. His friend stopped him in the middle of the 
sentence. 

103. Carries Mother and Aunt Mrs. D'n, it is 
rumored are not going to be invited. 

104. Come on now fellows, we beat them last year 
in the second half and we can do it again this year. 

105. Rev. Andrew Sledd, Ph.D. D.D. L.L.D. is presi- 
dent of Southern University. 

106. He said that "he paid for it out of his own 
personal account and that the total came to $101.00, or 
$50.00 apiece." 

107. She is or rather she was my brothers wife. 



Exercises for Correction 95 

108. Wednesday, January 22nd. Unable any longer 
to appear on deck. Afraid I won't die now. 

109. Incantations and chants — gloom and brilliance 
of light, spooks and goblins — all were encountered in 
the course of the initiation. 

110. In Milwaukee they have only two such places, 
in Oshkosh one, and in Appleton none. 

111. Jack the one eyed wonder, was the name of 
the chief occupant of the main tent which was gaudily 
painted to indicate it's importance. 

112. I recognized it as Sir Wm. Jones' famous trans- 
lation from the Persian and recited it to him; 

So live that, sinking in thy last, long sleep, 
Smiles may be thine while all around thee weep. 

113. The population of the world in 1880 was reli- 
giously distributed in the following proportions. 

professors of Christianity 418000000 

Buddhists 400000000 

Mohammedans 215000000 

Brahmins 175000000 

Jews 7000000 

all other forms of religious belief 174000000 

total 1389000000 

114. The questions that must necessarily be settled 
are — is it necessary, might not federal revenue be col- 
lected more easily in some other way; is it fair and just, 
and is it efficient? 

115. Can indicates possibility, as I can hear. 

116. According to the census of 1910 we have a 
population of 18,000 and between two fifths and three 
fifths of these are colored. 

117. The following is the business of the General 
Conference; 1. the election of Bishops, 2. to adjust the 



96 Handbook of Punctuation 

boundaries of the Annual Conferences, 3. to revise the 
rules of the Discipline, 4. to superintend the interest of 
Foreign Missions, 5. to elect officers to conduct the busi- 
ness of the general Publishing House. 

118. I rose from my knees — made my resolution — 
and lay down unafraid — enlightened — eager for daylight. 

119. What he does not know about the great bear 
and the milky way and Jupiter is not worth knowing. 

120. I've had enough of you. Now you beat it. 
Beat it quick while the goings good. 

121. Many former Jewesses and Methodist, Baptist, 
Presbyterian, Episcopalian, and Catholic women are to- 
day placing the Hindu scriptures, the veda, above the 
bible. 

122. Henry W. Lawton, prince of promoters, as he 
himself admitted, and patron of authors sat in his office 
during the first two hours waiting. 

123. Precisely at 11-20 he began to talk from Luke 
11-17 and for one hour, until 12-20 he preached. 

124. We were still fast and to judge from the grind- 
ing of the ice on the Western shore the wind was blowing 
a strong gale from the West. 

125. "Cartersville, Cartersville," he repeated slowly; 
pardon me please where is Cartersville. 

126. Whatever may have been his admiration for 
governor Wilson, ex president Roosevelt did not at all 
agree that a third party was unnecessary. 

127. Bean — E. B. you said your name was. 

128. He likened the new bill to a bowl of punch 

A little sugar to make it sweet 

A little lemon to make it sour 

A little water to make it weak 

A little brandy to give it power. 



Exercises for Correction 97 

129. How we all stood up and peered into the distant 
nooks; how fearfully that dreaded cry came to us again; 
how nervously w T e scanned the green spots in the distance. 

130. Henderson and Wallace are alike in this respect, 
one never forgets anything and the other never learns 
anything. 

131. Even though we were both in the same boat 
so far as trouble was concerned, I had a scrap with him 
over the rabbits. 

132. I invite your attention to the following passage; 
"A soft answer turneth away wrath, but grievious words 
stir up anger/' 

133. According to the statistics of the U. S. com- 
missioner of education forty one boys do not return the 
second year of high school, sixty two of the original one 
hundred do not return the third, and seventy six have 
dropped out by the fourth year. 

134. When I meet a girl with a very odd romantic 
and curiously-spelt name I always wonder what her name 
was before she began fooling with it. 

135. Mrs. S. N. Conway, 

Union, Wis. 
Dear madam, 

136. From the Post Office past Jefferson park and 
for nearly a quarter of a mile along the south shore drive 
the procession extended. 

137. A woman like her as brilliant as any man and 
a great deal more brilliant than most of us has a perfect 
right to vote. 

138. So with pails, bags, baskets and boxes we 
started on that long wet tramp through the grass, bushes 
and tall timber. 

139. That the one was nearly a woman now and the 



98 Handbook of Punctuation 

other — Alas ! — a full grown man did not occur to their 
Mother. 

140. When women receive the ballot they will do as 
the men have done ; see that their working hours are 
shortened and that they have more sanitary conditions 
under which to labor. 

141. This very important study should however not 
be a burden to the student and it will not become such if 
both teacher and student work hand in hand. 

142. Mr. McCullom do I understand that you are a 
witness for rather than against the defense. 

143. As to anything that would improve the work, 
I can think of nothing, it is the study not always the 
teacher that makes students like or dislike the subject. 

144. Much obliged to you for the kind thought my 
child, I will take the word for the deed. 

145. O, mother ocean I love thy whispers, thy sighs, 
and even thy doleful moans. 

146. This summer we camped up the river where 
there were eight girls and two married ladies for chaper- 
ones. 

147. The convention held at Chicago, Illinois in 
July 1912 could not be termed an absolute success. 

148. His answer was expressed in three words — 
read — read — read. 

149. "Ah ! Well ! I am forgetting again how old I 
am ; he exclaimed, And you are not interested any way." 

150. For in the Acts of the apostles we are told 
that: "neither was any one among them (the faithful) 
needy." 

151. The taste is a highly-emphasized combination 
of jelly, apple cider and lemonade, strawberries, honey 
and cool milk, iced beer and pickles, and dozens of the 



Exercises for Correction 99 

other sensuous pleasures that please us, all these multi- 
plied to the third power. 

152. But in an oral examination some students be- 
come so confused, even frightened, and this confusion 
is often due to the thoughtlessness of the instructor, that 
it is utterly impossible for them to make the showing that 
they normally would. 

153. The dance over she threw her card away re- 
marking that she was disgusted with balls. 

154. The loss of Leonardo Da Vincis Mona Lisa is 
the most regrettable artistic loss that we have had in 
many years. 

155. Upon him has been thrust the undivided honor 
of representing in the campaign of 1912 the saner ideas 
of progress under the constitution and the institutions 
we have. 

156. They learn the three Rs there and thats more 
than can be said of most of the schools in such districts. 

157. Monday came and by 2,30 the biggest crowd 
was on hand that had been seen since the fall of 99. 

158. The noon editions fairly overflowed with the 
latest and most ominous rumors, many of which had been 
invented in their own offices, denials of old rumors re- 
ported in the morning issues, derisive accounts of the 
ticket-scalpers who had been arrested, intricate calcula- 
tions on the crowds probable magnitude, which was ex- 
pected to be the largest ever known, statements by every 
notable in the city who had felt the need of a little free 
advertising, and other alleged news. 

159. And what do you think of the dignity of a 
President who resorts to an ex parte action in order to 
gain a cheap and transient legal victory over a very 
important part of the people, whom he has sworn to pro- 
tect in their legal rights ! 



100 Handbook of Punctuation 

160. The Springfield, Mass., Republican quoted in 
Public Opinion above states that in 1894 1333000 people 
in New York city lived in 39138 tenement houses, a frac- 
tion over 34 persons to the house. 

161. From morn to noon, from noon to dewy eve 
it was work — work — work — nothing but work. 

162. If he does this, and the instructor gives new 
kinds of exercises even though the main things to be 
learned are repeated, and new ways of presenting the 
old principles, I think the student would have less cause 
to find this fault with Rhetoric. 

163. Born in the state that is known as the mother 
of presidents and that produced the father of his country, 
we may confidently expect something worth while of 
Gov. Wilson. 



Index 101 



INDEX 

Abbreviations page 

of personal titles (197) 78 

period after (56) 23 

permissible (195-196, 198-199) 77,78 

to be avoided (194) 77 

Absolute construction (93) 37 

Adjectives 

compound (175) 66 

fractional (174) 66 

modifying, set off by commas (75) 32 

proper, capitalized (25) 12 

Administrative bodies, names capitalized (39) 17 

Adverbial phrases, set off by commas (94) 37 

Adverbs, set off by commas (94) 37 

Apostrophe 

indicating omitted figures and letters (169) 64 

indicating plurals of figures, etc. (170) 65 

in past tense of coined verbs (171) 65 

in possessive case (162-168) 63, 64 

Apposition, informal, dash in (121) 46 

Appositives, set off by commas (86) 35 

Asterisks, use of (192) 74 

Biblical references, colon used in (63) 26 

Black-face type (21) 10 

Blank lines (16) , 9 

Books 

titles capitalized (28) 13 

titles of quoted (150) 58 

Botany, names of classes, etc. capitalized (53) 22 

Brackets 

for parentheses within parentheses (191) 74 

in direct quotations ( 190) 73 

Broken lines, capitals in (51) 22 

Buildings, names capitalized (41) 18 

Capital letters 

abbreviations of academic titles, etc. (49) 21 

academic degrees (49) 21 



102 Handbook of Punctuation 

Capital letters 

administrative bodies (39) 17 

biblical names (31) 15 

botany, in (53) 22 

broken lines (51) 22 

buildings (41)' 18 

cardinal points (34) 16 

class names (27) 12 

clubs (38) 17 

colleges (38) 17 

common nouns (29) 14 

congresses (37) 17 

conventions (37)' 17 

corporations (38) 17 

Egyptian dynasties (40) 17 

expositions (37) 17 

festivals (35) 16 

first word of a sentence (23) 11 

formal quotations (24) 11 

governmental departments (39) 17 

historical documents, etc. (36) 16 

honorary titles (49) 21 

interjection O (47) 20 

judicial bodies (39) 17 

legislative bodies (39) 17 

Madam in salutations (50) 22 

names distinguishing nationality (33)' 16 

names of the Deity (30) 15 

ordinal numbers (40) 17 

parks (41) 18 

personified objects (44) 18 

political parties (38) 17 

prefixes "von", "de", etc. (48) 21 

pronoun / (47) ! 20 

proper adjectives (25) 12 

proper nouns (25) 12 

religious denominations (38) 17 

Resolved, after (52) 22 

Sir in salutations (50) 22 

solar bodies (42) 18 

tabular items (46)' 19 

titles of books, poems, etc. (28) 13 



Index 103 

Capital letters 

titles of honor, etc. (32) 15 

verse (24) 11 

"von", "de", etc. (48) 21 

Whereas, after (52) 22 

zoology, in (53) 22 

Capitals, underscoring for (21) 10 

Cardinal points, capitalized (34) 16 

Chemical symbols, period omitted after (56) 23 

Choice of writing paper (4) 2 

Class names capitalized (27) 12 

Clauses 

dependent, separated by commas (83) 34 

dependent, separated by semicolons (69) 29 

exclamatory, exclamation-point after (112) 43 

independent, separated by commas (72) 30 

in series, set off by commas (74) 31 

parenthetic, in parentheses (129) 47 

relative, set off by commas (82) 33 

series of, subject of a sentence (78) 33 

transposed, set off by commas (73) 31 

Clubs, names of, capitalized (38) 17 

Colleges, names of, capitalized (38) 17 

Colon 

after salutations (62) 26 

between independent clauses (59) 24 

biblical references (63) 26 

formal enumerations (61) 25 

tabular items (61 ) 25 

time indications (63) 26 

Comma 

absolute construction (93) 37 

adjective modifiers set off by (84) 34 

after interjections (97) 39 

after "namely", etc. (96) 38 

appositives set off by (86) 35 

before conjunctions in a series (76, 77) 32 

before or (86) 35 

between independent clauses (72) 30 

contrasted negative words separated by (87) 36 

dependent adverbial clauses set off by (83) 34 

explanatory dates set off by (90) 37 



104 Handbook of Punctuation 

Comma 

general usage (107) • • 41 

geographical names set off by (90) 37 

indicating omitted words ( 100) 39 

initials following surname (92) 37 

introductory words and phrases (94, 95) 37,38 

large numbers, in ( 104) 41 

non-restrictive modifiers (80-92) 33-37 

parenthetic expressions set off by (85) 34 

quotations, before (98) 39 

relative clauses set off by (82) 1 33 

Resolved, after (106) 41 

salutations, after (105) 41 

semicolon instead of (68) 28 

separating members of a series (74) 31 

separating modifying adjectives (75) 32 

subject of sentence, after (101) 40 

that, before (102)' 40 

titles, academic, etc., set off by (91 )' 37 

transposed phrases, etc. set off by (73) 31 

vocatives set off by (89) 36 

Whereas, after (106) 41 

words and phrases in pairs (79) 33 

words repeated for emphasis, between (99) 39 

Commercial institutions, names capitalized (38) 1 17 

Concluded, italicized (161) 63 

Conferences, names of capitalized (37) 17 

Congresses, names of capitalized (37) 17 

Conjunctions, commas before (76, 77) 32-33 

Continued, italicized (161) 63 

Conventions, names of capitalized (37) 17 

Conversation, in quotation-marks ( 141 ) 54 

Corporations, names of capitalized (38) . • 17 

Correspondence, abbreviations permitted in (196, 198) 77, 78 

Dash 

after side-heads (127) 47 

before explanatory phrases (122) 46 

before formal sentence elements (119) 45 

before quotations (118) 45 

before summarizing words (120) ; 45 

between dates (126) 47 



Index 105 

Dash 

between numbers ( 126) 47 

between a quotation and its author (123) 46 

between short speeches (125) 47 

double (116) 44 

in dialogue ( 124) 46 

indicating informal apposition ( 121 )' 46 

indicating omission of letters (128) 47 

interchangeable with parentheses (131) 49 

marking break in the thought (115) 44 

parenthetic expressions set off by (116-117) 44-45 

Dates 

cardinal numbers in (200-201 ) 79 

dashes used in ( 124) , 46 

explanatory, set off by commas (90) 37 

Days of the week, names capitalized (35) 16 

Degrees, academic, abbreviations of capitalized (49) 21 

Deity, names of capitalized (30) 15 

Denominations, religious, names capitalized (38) 17 

Dialogue 

dashes used in (124) 46 

paragraphing of ( 141 ) 54 

Direct address, words in (89) 36 

Documents, historical, etc., capitalized (36) 16 

Double dash (116, 129 a) 44,48 

Emphasis, italics for (159) 62 

Enumerations, formal 

colon before (61 ) 25 

first word capitalized (46) 19 

numbering of ( 132) 49 

semicolons in (67) 28 

Epochs, historical, etc., capitalized (36) 16 

Erasures (18) _ 10 

Events, historical, etc. capitalized (36) 16 

Exclamation-point (112-114) 43 

Exercises for correction 85 

Expositions, names of capitalized (37) : , . 17 

Festivals, names of capitalized (35) 16 

Figures 

beginning sentences with (205) 81 

in parentheses (132) 49 

omitted, apostrophe indicating (169) 64 

plurals of (170) 65 



106 Handbook of Punctuation 

Fraternities, names of capitalized (38) 17 

Foot-notes 

abbreviations in ( 199) 78 

general usage (193) 75 

Geographical names, set off by commas (90) 37 

Governmental departments, names capitalized (39) 17 

Holidays, names of capitalized (35) 16 

Hood, Thomas, quoted 51-52 

Hyphen 

at end of lines (187) : 71 

general usage (172-189) 65-73 

in compound words (172-186) .65-71 

indicating roots, etc. (189) 73 

indicating syllables (188) 73 

Independent sentences, capitalized (45) 19 

Industrial institutions, names capitalized (38) 17 

Initials following surnames (92) ! 37 

Ink, black (6) 3 

Insertions of words (17) 10 

Institutions, industrial, etc., names capitalized (38) 17 

Interjection O , capitalized (47) 20 

Interjections 

commas after (97) 39 

exclamation-point after (112) 43 

Interrogation-point 

after interrogative parts of sentences (110) 42 

after questions (109) 42 

in parentheses (111, 133) 42, 50 

Italics for — 

Concluded ( 161 ) 63 

emphasis (159) 62 

foreign words ( 158)' 61 

magazines (156) 61 

newspapers (156) 61 

paragraph titles (157) , 61 

Resolved (160) 62 

ships (156) 61 

side-heads (157) 61 



Index 107 

Italics for — 

To be Continued (161) 63 

underscoring for (21) 10 

Whereas (160) 62 

Items, tabular 

first words capitalized (46) 19 

introduced by colon (61) . . . . 25 

numbering of (46) 19-20 

semicolon in (67) 28 

Judicial bodies, names capitalized (39) 17 

Kingsley, Charles, quoted 51 

Legibility of manuscripts (5) 2-3 

Legislative bodies, names capitalized (39) 17 

Lincoln, Abraham, quoted 56 

Letters 

in parentheses ( 132) 49 

omitted, apostrophe indicating (169) 64 

omitted, dash indicating (128) 47 

plurals of (170) 65 

Lines 

broken, capitals in (51) 22 

parts of left blank (16) 9 

Madam, capitalized (50) ! 22 

Magazine articles, titles capitalized (28) 13 

Magazines, names italicized (156) 61 

Manuscripts 

blank lines in (16) 9 

carelessly prepared (2) 1 

choice of paper for (4) 2 

crowded lines (10) 4 

erasures in ( 18) 10 

fastening of (22) 10 

folding (22) 10-11 

insertions in (17) 10 

legibility (5) 2 

margins (9) 4 

neatness (3) 2 

pagination (11) ' 4 

rolling (22) 10 

space at top of each page (12) 4 

suggestions concerning preparation (4-22) 2-11 



108 Handbook of Punctuation 

Margins in manuscripts (9) 4 

Marks used in correcting themes 84 

Misspelled words (13) 4-9 

Modifiers 

adjective, set off by commas (84) 34 

non-restrictive (80-92) 33-37 

participial, set off by commas (84) 34 

Months, names of capitalized (35) 16 

Namely, etc., semicolon before (66) 27 

Names 

distinguishing nationality (33) 16 

geographic, set off by commas (90) 37 

Nationality, names distinguishing (33) 16 

Negro, word not capitalized (33) 16 

Newspapers, names of italicized (156) 61 

Nicknames, in quotation-marks (154) 60 

No 

comma after (95) 38 

semicolon after (70) 29 

Nominative absolute (93) 37 

Numbers 

cardinal (202) 80 

compound, hyphen in ( 173) ! 66 

dates (200) 79 

decimals, period in (58) 24 

general usage (200-205) 79-81 

large, commas in ( 104) 41 

ordinal (201) 79 

roman, period after (57) 24 

sentence not to be begun with (205) 81 

street (200) 79 

Numerals, roman, period after (57) 24 

Ordinal numbers capitalized (40) 17 

Organizations, religious, etc., capitalized (38) 17 

Pagination of manuscripts (11) 4 

Paper, writing 

choice of (4)' 2 

one side to be written on (6) 3 



Index 109 

Paragraphs 

consolidation of (15) 9 

dashes instead of (125) 47 

indentation of (14) 9 

separation of (15) 9 

titles of italicized (157) 61 

Parentheses 

enclosing figures and letters ( 132)' 49 

enclosing interrogation-points (133) 50 

interchangeable with dashes (131) 49 

interrogation-points in (111) 42 

parenthetic clauses, etc. (129) 47 

punctuation before (130) 48 

Parentheses within parentheses (191) 74 

Parenthetic expressions 

enclosed in parentheses ( 129)' 47 

set off by commas (85) 34 

set off by dashes (116-117) 44-45 

within parenthetic expressions (85, 117) 34,45 

Parks, names of capitalized (41) 18 

Participles, present, set off by commas (84) 34 

Per cent, period omitted after (56) 23 

Period 

abbreviations (56) 23 

chemical symbols (56) ! 23 

decimal numbers (58) 24 

declarative sentences, after (55) 23 

exclamatory sentences, after (55) 23 

format of books (56) 23 

imperative sentences, after (55) 23 

MS, after (56)' 23 

per cent, omitted after (56) 23 

roman numerals, after (57) 24 

Personal epithets, capitalized (32) 15 

Personified objects, capitalized (44) 18 

Phrases 

appositive, set off by commas (86) 35 

contrasted negative, set off by commas (87) 36 

explanatory, dash before (122) 46 

exclamatory, exclamation-point after (112)' 43 

in a series, set off by commas (74) 31 

in pairs, separated by commas (79) 33 

parenthetic, in parentheses ( 129) 47 

series of, subject of a sentence (78) 33 



110 Handbook of Punctuation 

Pictures, titles of capitalized (28) 13 

Plays 

titles in quotation-marks (150) 58 

titles of capitalized (28)1 13 

Plurals of figures, letters, etc. (170) 65 

Poems 

titles capitalized (28) 13 

titles in quotation-marks (150) 58 

Political parties, names of capitalized (38) 17 

Prefixes 

hyphenated (177) 67 

marked by hyphens (189) 73 

"von", "de", etc. (48) 21 

Pronoun /, capitalized (47) 20 

Pronouns, antecedents in titles of essays (8) 3 

Proof sheet, specimen 82 

Proper nouns, capitalized (25) 12 

Punctuation, defined (1) 1 

Questions, interrogation-point after (109-110) 42 

Quotation-marks 

general usage (134-155)' 50-61 

relative position of (145) 56 

Quotations 

brackets in (190) 73 

capitalization of first word (24) 11 

dash after (123) 46 

dialogue ( 141 ) 54 

direct (134) 50 

indirect (149)1 58 

informal (24, 140) 11, 53 

interpolated expressions in (144) 55 

introduced by a colon (60) 25 

introduced by a comma (98) 39 

introduced by a dash (118) 45 

material omitted from (192) 74 

paragraph indentation in (139) 53 

prose (138-142) 52-54 

punctuation of (134-149) 50-58 

verse (135-137) 50-52 

within quotations (142-143) 54-55 



Index 111 

Religious denominations, names capitalized (38) 17 

Resolved 

capital letter after (52) 22 

comma after ( 106) 41 

italicized (160) 62 

Restoration of erased words (19) 10 

Roots, indicated by hyphen ( 189) 73 

Salutations 

colon after (62) 26 

comma after ( 105) 41 

Seasons, names not capitalized (25) 12 

Semicolon 

after Yes and No (70) 29 

before namely, etc. (66) 27 

between independent clauses (65) 27 

in complex sentences (71) 30 

in formal enumerations (67) 28 

in long series of clauses (69) 29 

in simple sentences (71) 30 

instead of commas (68) 28 

Sentences 

beginning with figures (205) 81 

complex, semicolon in (71) 30 

compound, semicolon in (65) 27 

declarative, exclamation-point after (114) 43 

declarative, period after (55) 23 

exclamatory, period after (55) 23 

first word capitalized (23) 11 

imperative, exclamation-point after (114) 43 

imperative, period after (55) 23 

independent, capitalized (45) 19 

independent, colon between (59) 24 

interrogative, interrogation-point after (109-110) 42 

large and small numbers in (203) 80 

Ships, names of italicized (156) 61 

Side-heads 

dashes after (127) 47 

italicized (157) 61 

Sir, capitalized (50) 22 

Slang, put in quotation-marks (153) 60 

Solar bodies, names of capitalized (42) 18 



112 Handbook of Punctuation 

Spelling (13) 4-9 

Street numbers (200)1 79 

Subject of sentence followed by a comma (101) 40 

Suffixes 

hyphenated (179) 68 

marked by hyphens ( 189) 73 

varying (180) 68 

Surnames followed by initials (92) 37 

Tabular items 

first word capitalized (46) 19 

introduced by colons (61 )' 25 

numbering of (46, 132) 19-20, 49 

semicolon in ( 67 ) 28 

Technical terms in quotation-marks (151) 60 

That, comma before (102) 40 

Themes 

marks used in correcting 84 

titles of not to be quoted (155) 61 

Time indications, colon used in (63) 26 

Title 

not put in quotation-marks ( 155 )' 61 

space between subject-matter and (7) 3 

Titles 

abbreviations of capitalized (49) 21 

academic, set off by commas (91) 37 

capitalized (32) 15 

honorary, set off by commas (91 ) 37 

personal, not to be abbreviated ( 197) 78 

Transposed words, etc., set off by commas (73) 1 31 

Transposition of words (20) 10 

Type, black face, underscoring for (21) 10 

Underscoring 

for emphasis (159) 62 

general usage (21 ) 10 

Verbs, coined, past tense of ( 171 ) 65 

Verse 

capitalization of first lines (24) 11 

quoted (135-137) 1 • 50-52 



Index 113 

Whereas 

capitals after (52) 22 

comma after ( 106) 41 

italicized (160)' m 62 

Words 

appositive, set off by commas (86) 35 

compound (172-186) 65-71 

contrasted negative, set off by commas (87) 36 

division of (187) 1 71 

erasures (18) 10 

foreign, italicized (158) 61 

hyphenated (183) 69 

in definition, quoted ( 152) 60 

in direct address (89) 36 

in pairs, separated by commas (79) 33 

in series, set off by commas (74) ! 31 

insertion of (17) 10 

modifying, in separated phrases (88) 36 

omission of part ( 186) 71 

omitted, indicated by commas (100) 39 

plurals of (170) 65 

repeated for emphasis (99) 39 

restoration of (19)' 10 

separate ( 185) 71 

series of, subject of sentence (78) 33 

slang, in quotation-marks (153) 60 

solid (184) 69 

summarizing, dash before ( 120) 45 

syllabication (188) 73 

transposed, set off by commas (73) 1 31 

transposition of (20) 10 

Yes 

comma after (95) 38 

semicolon after (70) 29 

Zoology, classes, etc. of, capitalized (53) 22 



20 1912 



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